Pirated Soul
by Cryophase
Summary: A pair of Luminoth discover an escaped Space Pirate slave. Taking place after the events of Metroid Prime 2
1. Chapter 1 -Escape

Six eyes opened for the first time. Wires and tubes fastened for months finally parted, their purpose fulfilled. The pain of their departure awoke him. Red, viscous amnion circled down a drain beneath him and the pod opened.

It was cold; that was the first thing he noticed. He was exposed for the first time. Everything was a blurred haze of colors, sound rushing in and out of his head without leaving any meaning. It took a few seconds for his senses to fully focus.

"Get to work," an angry voice growled, shoving a steely piece of machinery into his hands. It was the first thing the creature ever heard. and yet somehow he understood the words. He understood what the tool in his hand was for.

He did not object, nor did he hesitate; he couldn't. For though he could see, hear, and feel, those senses were merely simple inputs to a programmed mind. They were there to react to, not to observe.

The course was laid out clearly, like a map. He followed it, carrying his equipment down into the mines. A long stream of pirates was laid out along the wall, drilling away into the deep, blue ore. There was only one gap in the continuous line of slaves. He didn't stop to question why it was there. He didn't have the mental capacity to even consider anything but the present. The very notion of "why" was an alien thing beyond comprehension. Obediently he filled the empty space and rammed the ore-processor into the wall. The steely claw at its tip latched on to the oily blue substance and cut a swath through the rock. A neat, unprocessed cube was the result, and he instinctively tossed it onto the conveyor belt behind him. He repeated the process, again and again, delving deeper into the seemingly never-ending deposit.

Something liquid, cyan blue gazed down at him from the ceiling. A tiny leak from something much greater above, hanging languidly high above his head. It had already invaded one victim today. It had permeated his skin, moved through his blood, touched his pathetic, animal mind. It took it, like a vicious predator for its own and drove the creature to madness. He was killed almost immediately after, his corrupted form viewed as a threat by his more intelligent superiors. But a dead body was no setback, it was merely meat.

The suspended droplet did not look alive, and it certainly did not look intelligent. It simply blended in, undetectable, scheming away. Finally another body was within reach of the sedentary creature, and so it let go of its perch, dropping down, beating hungrily through the air.

It missed its mark by a small margin, dripping onto his mere left arm. It didn't matter, this was only a delay. The slave's fresh skin was battered and bruised from labor and provided only a laughable barrier. The liquid creature sank in and writhed inside, inching its way up, closer to his mind.

The process was not unnoticed. As soon as the vile substance touched his skin, it burned. He did not understand what was causing it, only that his arm had erupted into agonizing pain. He backed away from the wall and started screaming. Something alive and liquid writhed under his skin, moving with a will of its own. His roars resonated through the caverns; his fellow slaves took no notice.

He did not understand it, but he wanted it to end. A glitch, perhaps the first in a long while; the slave formed an idea. To use a tool for something other than its intended purpose required some degree of intelligence; creativity; something he shouldn't have possessed. But under the staggering pain, it seemed anything was possible, and so on impulse, the pirate drove the ore-processor into his shoulder. The lasers cut swiftly through his flesh and an arm fell to the ground twitching, the lifeform inside it had failed. It seemed to acknowledge this fact and promptly began consuming its severed vessel.

He staggered backwards, clutching desperately at an empty socket. Rich, black blood came out in droves and he fell to his knees. His brain, like a machine, was overloaded with data; the pain and unreal loss too much for his small mind to handle. For the first time, he began forming thoughts.

_What is happening? I hurt.._

_I?_ The thought made his head ache.

His fetal thoughts were interrupted by sinister growls. He did not understand them, it was beyond his programming.

"Two in one day? Damn I'm lucky," the overseer laughed.

"Fuck off, I get to kill this one," another interjected, drawing his energy blade and edging closer. The slave saw him, and he understood what a weapon meant. He meekly pulled himself off the ground, trying to move.

The aggressor's impertinence only drove the other overseer into attacking him. He roared and pushed him to the ground, voicing his dominance; his right to the kill. It only antagonized yet another attack, and rather than killing the now-useless slave the two slavedrivers were at each other's throats.

The slave pulled himself off the floor, staggering, still clutching pitifully at his hole of an arm.

_Escape..._

Escape? What was that? Getting away... yes. Away from labor. Away from their weapons. Was it possible?

For the first time, he ran. He ran away, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Nothing mattered anymore but getting away alive. A normal slave would have done nothing; he would have stayed and died willingly. But this one wanted to live. That most basic of animal instincts had been brought to the surface.


	2. Chapter 2 -Rescue

He ran past slave after slave, who all continued drilling mindlessly at the wall. He found himself perplexed by their oblivion, their ability to ignore all else, even though he had been identical to them only moments ago.

He was losing blood and strength with each passing step, his vision becoming clouded. He wanted... he needed to stop. To lie down and not use his legs anymore. But it was too soon to do that. He ran past the last slave, into a tributary cavern and kept running.

He'd never had a destination. He'd never known where he was to start with. He only knew he wanted to get _away_. But now, miles away underground, he had even forgotten what he was running from.

_Why run? Why afraid?_

He tried to remember but he couldn't. _Go back?_ He did not know the way.

His bleeding had slowed to a trickle. It was partly due to fast coagulation and partly due to a shortage of blood. No more energy to run, he collapsed against a wall and panted heavily, still whimpering from the ever-present pain.

_I still hurt...Why?_

Just another thing he could not wrap his mind around. Though the slave did not know it, he was dying. He simply did not have the foresight to see it.

His pain was a very real, very tangible thing to someone nearby. A native to the world his overseers had so carelessly invaded. But they were not here to start a war, only to steal a valuable resource, one which the inhabitants were glad to see go. There was no conflict on that front.

She was only here to collect data. To measure what remained of the pestilence that was so close to purging. The richest deposits were being worked away, and pirates were thorough indeed. She was grateful for that. This area had been cleared; stripped bare. Nothing remained but rock, and the lack of blue luminescence meant she had to provide her own light. She held it in her palm like a surreal lantern, observing. She felt the presence of someone, and her light dimmed as she was forced to feel his pain.

Curiously concerned, she made her way towards the source, and was surprised to see a pirate. They did not usually straggle from their hive-like groups. Luminoth did not usually speak openly with pirates, but she was willing to make an exception for someone so clearly and utterly helpless. As an empath, she felt deep despair for his suffering and only wanted to help.

"_What happened to you? Why do you not seek medical care from your people?"_ she asked, speaking with her mind. It was without language, something universally translated that she was confident anyone would understand. He did not answer her. Instead she felt a head-pounding fear from him as soon as she spoke. As her words hit him, he clutched at his head with his single arm and huddled up further against the wall.

She was surprised that she would elicit such a reaction. Luminoth were far taller than pirates, more than twice their height, so perhaps he was afraid of her appearance. But no, it was more than that. Her very _thoughts_ had injured him. Perhaps it was the amount of information she had tried to convey. Hesitantly, she tried again.

_"What's wrong?"_

This time, she felt no additional pain. Good; short, simplistic phrases did not hurt him as much. He growled out an answer, not in Urtraghian but in his own, unintelligible grunts. But Luminoth did not need language to understand.

"It hurts," he growled. It was almost laughable, the primitiveness of their conversation. It was like talking to an infant. But primitive as it was, his pain was very real, and clearly his own kind had offered nothing to help. Perhaps they were even the cause of his injury.

Luminoth were not supposed to interfere; to meddle in other species' affairs, especially a war-faring one. But standing here beside a helpless infant, forced to feel his pain, I-Sil was deaf to customs, oblivious to logic. She only wanted to end his suffering.

"_I will help you,"_ she answered simply, and attempted to touch him. Instantly she was met with aggression. The worn pirate roared weakly as he saw her approaching, flashing his rows of sharp teeth in warning. But didn't he understand she was trying to help?

The concept did not exist in his world, so even with her wordless speech he did not understand. She wanted to carry him out of this wretched cavern and give him the care he desperately needed. The thought of him dying right here in front of her was too much to stand. She crouched slowly, meeting him at eye level, trying to make him understand her benign intentions. _"Please don't be afraid,"_ she asked quietly, again moving a hand towards him.

She was met with the same reaction as before, only far, far weaker. The pirate didn't have the strength to summon a growl anymore, and merely bared his teeth in silence. There was nothing he could do to resist anymore. His breathing increased rapidly as she moved closer, speaking his terror. It was cut short, one last, forced breath and he slipped from the conscious world.

Was he dead? No, she could hear his heart beating, albeit slowly and sluggishly. He had passed out. She did not blame him, considering his condition. But this was the chance she had wanted. If he was not awake to resist her, she would finally be allowed to help him. Tenderly the giant knelt down and picked up his small, broken body, carrying it away into the sunlit world above.


	3. Chapter 3 - Decisions

_"I-Sil you are a fool."_ He did not attempt to mask his disapproval, looking down at her as she sat beside the one-armed creature. She had done something without thought, without consideration. She had brought a wounded alien into their home and bandaged him, put him on life-support. And for what? For some childish, altruistic whim? He was a beast, a primitive creature created to be just that.

U-Lir knew of pirate births. As a geneticist he had been both thoroughly intrigued and disgusted by it. Pirates had the strictest caste system of any species he knew. Quotas were put on each caste; slaves, soldiers, commandos, scientists. Each individual, if they could even be called as such, was branded and labelled before they were even born. They were grown, with set parameters for intelligence, strength and aggression. Even their very thoughts had a programmed tract.

_"You pity a machine,"_ he said coldly. That's all this creature was; a programmed, efficient machine. And he must have outgrown his usefulness; that was why they tried to dispose of him. He recognized the caste: slave; a miner, minimal intelligence comparable to a rat. A life-span of around one stellar cycle, usually less due to disposal after injury.

_"Machines do not suffer," _she answered.

U-Lir shook his head, thoroughly put off by his mate's foolish sentiment. _"You will only do him harm by keeping him alive."_

She did not answer. She knew he was right, of course, but she could not bring herself to let the pirate die. U-Lir felt her sorrow, and even he had to admit he had some hesitation. "_It would be the merciful thing, to do," _he said, turning his head away.

_"Perhaps,"_ she admitted. _"But would it be just?"_

She looked down at the ferocious face of her patient. He was almost fully recovered, from what she could tell. She had bandaged his shoulder and provided his body with the nourishment it needed to replace blood. He would live, if they left him be. But what kind of life?

_"Please do not feel empathy for him. He is programmed, he is a slave. They are built with a purpose and when that purpose is exhausted they have nothing but to wither and die."_

_"You are wrong,"_ she answered stubbornly. _"What purpose did he have, alone and suffering, far away from any others of his kind? He ran away for a reason." _As far as she was concerned, that was all there was to it. He had run away because he wanted to live, and so she had granted him that. _"Perhaps he sought a new purpose."_

She was again met with a condescending response. _"You transcribe your own thoughts onto a non-sentient being."_

U-Lir could feel her anger to his response. Such frustratingly _illogical _anger. He hated to see her in such emotional turmoil. Surely there was a way to reason with her.

_"What will we do, keep him? He would be like a pet, one that gets lethal headaches whenever someone tries to talk to him. Would you do that to him?"_

I-Sil did not have an immediate answer. So desperately did she want him to live, and yet she knew it was true, he could not live among them as he was. She had an idea, and she did not fully think it through before she shared it. _"Perhaps you could change him. Help him... understand."_

_"What?" _U-Lir asked, thoroughly shocked. _"Surely you are not serious, I-Sil."_

She looked at him and allowed him to feel the sincerity in her words. Though she did not fully consider their meaning, she found herself unwilling to go back on them. _"You helped restore the mangled DNA of the Torvus fauna, how hard would it be to change this pirate? To expand his mind? You told me before, they are highly malleable, their genome open to any new data or alteration-"_

_"That is enough!" _U-Lir yelled. She flinched at the sheer magnitude of his decree, looking down at the ground. _"I-Sil, this is not the answer,"_ he blocked the emotions from his words. "_This thing is not the child you mistake it for."_

_"I never said he was,"_ she answered quietly. Perhaps she was being selfish, as he suggested, and for that she was ashamed. What if this creature truly wasn't self-aware? Her proposal might only make him suffer more. She remembered all too well what merely speaking too many words had done to him. She stood up from his side and walked towards her mate.

_"He has recovered,"_ she said simply. _"If you want to end it... you will need to do it yourself." _Her words were simple, concise. The pirate was no longer dying; he had healed, and it only made the task harder.

_"Fine,"_ U-Lir answered. He walked away, to a small alcove in the lab, filled with datapads, test tubes and panels. Various chemicals and cultures filled the empty spaces; a geneticist's workplace. He punched in a sequence of commands on a panel, and a thin clear liquid filled an empty vial. He procured a syringe from the clutter.

I-Sil was shocked, how was he so prepared? "_You already have a serum?"_ she did not want to believe it was true.

U-Lir hesitated a moment before he answered her. "_Would you rather we be unprepared, once again, if a species were to turn hostile against us?"_

"_The pirates have never attacked us in the many years they have been here,"_ I-Sil answered indignantly.

U-Lir laughed. "_It is only a matter of time. They are kept at bay by fear. Such a truce is hardly steadfast,"_ he said bitterly as he filled the syringe.

At that moment, the pirate's eyes opened, and he became aware. His mind fired with questions.

_Where am I? What happened? It doesn't hurt..._ he found himself fixated on the last thought, and started repeating it over and over again in his mind. _It doesn't hurt._

He looked around, searching for an explanation. All he could see were two titanic creatures looking down at him. One was the same as before, the one who had approached him in the cave. Before, he had been hostile, because he was afraid. But now he could see that her presence signed the passing of the pain in his shoulder.

I-Sil looked away, her amber gaze cast on the floor. She did not know what to do but to stand silently, the weight of her guilt bearing down upon her as her mate neared the defenseless pirate, ready to end his short life.

_"I'm sorry," _U-Lir said. Despite his view of him as a mindless machine, he felt it only right to show remorse for what he was about to do.

Gently he took the pirate's only arm in his fingers. The pirate offered no objection at all as the titan's needle neared closer. I-Sil found herself perplexed by the lack of retaliation, so different from his earlier response towards her. So intrigued was she that she looked up, and blurted out her question to him. _"Why aren't you afraid?"_

U-Lir hesitated, unsure whether to continue. He bristled with anger that I-Sil had attempted interaction, now of all times.

The pirate heard her, and he knew full well the answer. "You take away pain," he admitted, grunting in his low clicks, glancing at the empty bandaged socket of his left arm. The Urtraghian bowed his head, a gesture of submission. Despite U-Lir's intentions, the pirate trusted him. The Luminoth's hand trembled and finally withdrew, he couldn't do it.

As simplistic as the pirate's response was, he had felt the emotion behind it. I-Sil felt it too. It was far more complex than the simple pain she had felt earlier. Weak, but they were there; joy, relief, trust. So happy was he to be alive and not be in pain anymore. Suddenly very guilty U-Lir backed away, fist clenched and eyes closed.

He shut himself off from I-Sil, too ashamed to let her feel it. She could see that about him, and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer him comfort. He had been proven wrong. Simply from being offered a single gesture of kindness, the pirate's entire demeanor had changed. He was no machine.

U-Lir shut his speech off from the pirate and directed it to I-Sil alone, so that he would not hurt him. _"Perhaps, if he already has sentience,"_ U-Lir admitted. "_Then perhaps cognitive development is feasible." _Yes, it was possible. But what was the point in giving the pirate sanctuary? U-Lir struggled to understand why his mate was so desperate to help him. The creature was small, so laughably small. He was naive and helpless.

A child; this was what she saw. U-Lir thought I-Sil very naive, herself.

I-Sil smiled, and knelt down beside the pirate. How would she phrase this so that he would understand?

_"Hello," _she started off simply. The pirate tilted his head as though he did not understand even the simple greeting. She pointed at him, wanting to be sure he knew what it meant. After some difficulty he followed her finger and mimicked the gesture, pointing to his own chest.

"Me?"

_"We can change you, make you more like us. Would you want that?" _It was as simple a question as she could muster, and even it made him flinch slightly, he rubbed his head and struggled for an answer.

"Giants know more. Giants do more than me. Maybe," he paused as though uncertain, struggling with a new idea, "I could do more."

It was all the affirmation she needed. He was capable of understanding his shortcomings and seeing better possibilities. There were risks involved but he wouldn't have the capacity to weigh them. He wanted to 'do more', and who were they to deny him that right? I-Sil turned to U-Lir, who waited solemnly for her answer. She nodded, and he did not object.


	4. Chapter 4 - Stasis

_"Any change today?"_

_"No, still stable," _U-Lir assured her calmly. It had become a nuisance, her constant checking up. Every day she would visit his lab to see the pirate. It was almost as if she were concerned U-Lir would end up killing him after all. He didn't blame her, on that end. At any moment it was perfectly possible for the subject to reject the genes altogether and go into a fatal relapse.

U-Lir had used his own DNA. It was a choice between his and I-Sil's. His was simply more compatible, and seemed to produce a smaller chance of rejection.

The rumors spread quickly, and word was long out of what they were doing. Some thought it wrong, of course, but not strongly enough to interfere. Some had no feelings one way or the other, or if they did they chose not to share them. Genetic manipulation of any sentient being was questionable, U-Lir would be the first to admit that. But the subject had given consent, so was it really that wrong?

He began to wonder if the pirate had ever truly understood what they offered him. Was he intelligent enough to evenmake the choice? U-Lir did not know. He hadn't wanted to do this in the first place, it was only due to I-Sil's insistence that he was. And now she was here every day, checking up on him. She would often stay in the lab and watch the pirate even long after U-Lir had left. It troubled him, her strange, almost motherly concern. He glanced up from his readings, observing her.

I-Sil gazed curiously into the sleek glass tube, eyes wide with smiling wonder. She had watched him change, so slowly. His more vicious features had softened. The teeth in his top jaw had withered away entirely, and those on the bottom had become minuscule. His third pair of eyes had moved forward and closed permanently, sprouting soft, tendrilly antennae in their place. A second, smaller pair had started growing closer to his mouth. U-Lir had explained that as a mistake on his part, as it was only later he found out the third set of eye genes was more feasible as a base. The secondary antennae would go away as he aged, as would his second pair of eyes

'As he aged'... it was a strange thought indeed. U-Lir had mentioned that his particular breed did not usually live past a year. Naturally, he had changed that. With his manipulation he had stabilized his rapidly-degenerating cells. They now replicated and wore with a similar rate to a Luminoth, meaning he would live to see many more years.

She placed her hand on the glass. She had been watching for a very long time. The pirate was curled up, legs tucked against his chest and eyes clamped shut. Every now and then, the tiniest of twitches. Of a finger, a toe, a piston on his mechanical arm. V-Jme's engineering was unparalleled, and the two had been lucky he was willing to build for him, considering who it was for. He had examined the other arm and made a perfect match. The pirate instinctively twitched the metal fingers as naturally as he did his own. I-Sil wondered how he would react, waking up to it.


	5. Chapter 5 - Sentience

Eight months had passed. More than twice what it had taken for him to be born in the first place. But the purpose of this second life was not efficient labor, and so there was time. Time for him to grow. Time for his mind to expand, gradually becoming more intelligent and capable.

He would not awake with his full ability. No, that would be too drastic a change. U-Lir decided the best option was to ease him into it, and allow him to be awake and aware for the majority of the changes. He would grow into them, but for now U-Lir had placed limits. He was already afraid of how he would react, waking up with all the changes; new senses, a mechanical arm, a quintupled IQ... U-Lir had failsafes in place, in the likely event that he went mad as soon as he awoke. He had warned I-Sil of this possibility, but she seemed confident he would be alright. U-Lir knew that to be merely hope rather than logical premonition.

He was sure to keep him asleep even after his removal from the pod. He needed to check everything; brain function, heart rate, nerve firings, he was very thorough. Everything seemed to be normal, or at least within the standards U-Lir judged to be agreeable for his hybrid creation.

He decided that the room should be empty, devoid of people. It would be best to give the pirate time to come to bears with his changes, alone. He and I-Sil stood behind a one-way mirror. U-Lir kept an eye on the monitor, watching for any dangerous changes that would demand he force the pirate back into stasis.

U-Lir released the suppressing grip on his mind; the tiniest spark of an attached electrode. Four eyes flared open. Deep, soulful magenta that captured a new, vibrant array of colors. All he could see before was the blue hue of his target, and all else was shades of grey. Color was a fascinating thing indeed, if a bit overwhelming. He blinked several times, confused, but grew accustomed to it fairly quickly. He sat up, stretching his long-inert limbs.

Something beige and serrated trailed into his field of vision. Instinctively he flinched, as though to dodge it. It followed him, staying stubbornly in his gaze. He realized it was stuck to his head, and so grabbed it to flick it away. He growled in surprise and pain; the thing was a part of him? The rough way in which he'd touched it brought a painful sting. The cold scent of metal flooded his mind, and faded back to the sweet smell of damp air as he withdrew his mechanical hand. Strange, he didn't remember that, either. He took a better look at his left arm. To his surprise, he _had _one again. It glinted metallic silver, but felt so identical to his natural arm he hadn't even noticed the difference. He toyed with it for a moment, touching each of the two fingers with the thumb and smiling in disbelief.

_Was this here before? No, someone built it, it is a machine. Did I make it? No, of course not._

Those were the first thoughts that came to mind. He found it strange, the complexity of them. It was not painful, just deeply confusing. He'd never thought something like it and it fired off a thousand other questions in turn. Everything was so different, and he couldn't remember anything from before. Why? What had happened? Panic started to flare as he struggled to remember where he was and how he had gotten to his current state. And with every new thought came shock and fresh anxiety.

U-Lir watched the monitors as the pirate's brain fired with activity and his heart rate accelerated. As he expected; he was having a panic attack. Nerve activity in his head showed U-Lir that he was beginning to suffer a migraine. He sighed and shook his head. The pirate had become too intelligent for his unprepared mind to handle. He had planned for this. He moved his hand to activate the failsafe. The still-connected electrode would knock the pirate back out, and he could try to somewhat reverse what he had done. Otherwise he would literally think himself to death.

To his surprise, I-Sil stayed his hand, urging him to stop.

"_Let me try something else,"_ she asked.

U-Lir thought for a moment. "_Make it fast."_

She nodded, acknowledging the need for urgency. She stepped out of the observation room and walked calmly over to the thought-ridden pirate. She felt his confusion beat down against her like a sick, chaotic miasma, but she remained undaunted.

He was, at first, oblivious to her presence. Nothing else existed outside his head. She broke that barrier with a gentle touch to the shoulder. He flinched at the contact and swivelled his gaze to meet hers. He was terrified, she could see. Terrified of his own newfound thoughts. She gave him a gentle smile and offered him an unseen aura of comfort, of soothing, peaceful emotions that drove out his own.

"_Calm down,"_ she whispered. "_Just... stop thinking for a moment and focus,"_ she advised.

She had helped him before; he trusted her, and so he took her words to heart and followed them as best he could. He shut his eyes and tried to focus his thoughts. He chose something to focus on; his breathing. Each breath in, then out in a constant pace. It was all he concentrated on, the flow of air through his body. In, then out... in then out. It slowed pace as he calmed down, thoughts slowly coming back into order.

I-Sil said no more. Meditating had come naturally to him, and he did not need anymore help. The chaos he exuded faded, a calm sort of silence in its place.

U-Lir allowed himself a breath of relief as he watched the pirate's vitals go back to normal. Whatever she had done certainly seemed to work. He stepped out to join her, eyeing the meditating pirate curiously. It was a strange sight indeed.

"_What shall we call him?"_ I-Sil broke the silence.

"_Call him? You mean, give him a name?"_

She nodded. The thought struck him as strange. "_I don't know, I had not thought about it,"_ he admitted.

I-Sil looked to the pirate. She smiled. Despite his dominantly alien features, he reminded her of U-Lir. He was created with his DNA, after all, so she supposed it was only natural for there to be a resemblance. Luminoth took their names from their mothers, usually. But there was only one here who was truly related to him, and he needed that extra bit of connection far more than she did.

"_K-Lir,"_ she suggested. Truth be told, she had already given much thought to it. "_What about K-Lir?"_

U-Lir looked at her, surprised. She wanted to name the pirate after him?

"_You are his father after all,"_ she said simply. He flinched at her words, unsure how to react.

The pirate overheard them. Were they talking about him? Her words stuck in his mind; the first bit of identity he had ever known.

"Kayleer," he repeated, sounding it out. The pirate opened his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping the nightmarish onslaught of thoughts would not recur once he dispelled his focus. To his relief, they did not. He could think clearly now; intelligent, orderly thoughts. He remembered what had happened before. He remembered losing his arm, and being saved by the titanic alien standing before him. He remembered how she had offered to 'change' him. This must be the change she meant. He almost laughed, overjoyed by the simple fact that he could _think._ That he could form ideas. That he could understand. The world around him seemed so much more real and meaningful, his eyes and mind finally open.

They were looking at him, observing him. He took quick notice. Was he supposed to say something? Were they expecting something? He knew he was grateful for what they had done. For everything they had done. He understood that now.

"Thank you..." he muttered, at first unsure. Then, more strongly, "Thank you for helping me."

I-Sil found herself overjoyed by the simple sentence. But she wanted more, she wanted more proof of the inner workings of his mind. "_How do you feel?"_ she asked simply.

"Smarter," was the first thing that came to mind, certainly. He moved himself off the table and stood, twitching his feet on the stony ground. "I can think," he found himself laughing now, something very new, but he enjoyed it. He started laughing louder, unable to withhold it. "I can _think!_" he yelled at them, as though he were telling them something new and exciting that they simply must know.

"But, you know that, you're the ones who did it to me," the sound of his own sentences filled him with so much glee he thought he would burst.

I-Sil smiled, she was happy for him. U-Lir watched in silence, once more unsure what to feel. The creature who only months ago had been a primitive, unintelligible slave had grown into something- someone far different than he ever expected. He gave him that, he realized. And it was nothing to regret.

"Kayleer," the pirate repeated again, fully curious. "Is that me?"

U-Lir was the one who answered this time. "_Yes,"_ he assured him. "_Welcome home."_


	6. Chapter 6 - Rumors

For the first few days, they kept him inside. They tried to teach him, speaking with both their minds and pure, spoken Aetherian, in the hopes that he would begin to pick up their language. It began to stick, little by little, as did their lessons of Luminoth culture. Slowly the pirate grew more and more accustomed to his new home, and in time even U-Lir began to observe a blur in the line that existed between their species.

I-Sil grew hopeful that Kayleer would one day be able to integrate fully with her people. That he could find his place among them. She was confident that he would not be judged, so long as he could function.

But her hopes were quickly extinguished.

U-Lir summoned I-Sil to the lab. His demeanor seemed very dismal, almost afraid, and I-Sil wondered fervently what troubled him.

"Ah good, I-Sil has joined you," a voice chimed in. I-Sil turned her gaze to the shimmering green form of a small Luminoth standing upon a console in front of U-Lir. Her eyes widened, and she too felt U-Lir's fear, as she gave an obligatory bow towards the holographic form of the Torvus Sentinel.

"As I was telling U-Lir, I have caught wind of your little experiment," the Sentinel explained, a hint of malice in her voice. "I-Sil, did you not have the wherewithal to talk sense into your foolish mate? Or no, perhaps you even played a part in it," she narrowed her gaze.

I-Sil said nothing, and the Sentinel took it as confirmation, shaking her head in disappointment. "Do you know the danger you've put us in by harboring that thing? What if it is a criminal among its people? What if they come after _us_ in pursuit of it? Or, worse, what if the thing does violence unto the Luminoth? Have you not seen pirate interactions with other species?"

"T-Kev, he was a slave, he was disposable to them. We only-"

The Sentinel held up her hand, and I-Sil was quickly silenced.

"Please, spare your words. I have made my decision. It will be returned to its people. It is none of your business what happens to it after that."

"He'll be killed!" I-Sil protested, losing control of her temper. U-Lir felt waves of terror come off her, and he felt himself sharing in her despair.

"It is not your business to interfere with their transgressions," T-Kev said simply.

"T-Kev please, perhaps you should reconsider…" U-Lir suggested meekly.

"I would have expected you to be the more sensible of the pair, U-Lir," the Sentinel said condescendingly. "I will save you the trouble of contacting U-Mos for an appeal, I have already notified him of the situation, and once I have my approval the pirate will be confiscated. Please do not necessitate the use of force," she warned. And without another word, the holograph dissipated, leaving the pair in silence.

"She can't do this, they can't just take him away, U-Lir. He has done nothing wrong," I-Sil said woefully.

"I-Sil…" U-Lir sighed. "We knew there were risks like this from the beginning. It was foolish to think we could harbor a being from a hostile race and have the Sentinels think nothing of it."

He averted his eyes, directing his gaze towards the pirate sitting so quietly against the far corner of the lab. In his hands was a tiny puzzlebox, its sides illuminated with various colors. He turned it in his hands, over and over, attempting to create new patterns with every swivel. He was blissfully unaware of his guardians' conversation, for he could neither fully understand their spoken words nor feel their distressed emotions, yet. It pained U-Lir to think that he was considered a threat.

"Is there nothing we can do?" I-Sil begged.

U-Lir shook his head. "We could try to hide him, to give him shelter somewhere hidden. But it would only delay the inevitable."

She fell silent, absorbing the hopelessness of the situation. She stepped towards Kayleer, kneeling down towards him. He looked up, curious and a bit confused.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"_No, nothing at all," _I-Sil answered, putting on a smiling facade. She motioned toward the puzzlebox in his hands. "_Have you solved it yet?"_

U-Lir watched as I-Sil feigned an interest in Kayleer's game, pretending as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever transpired. It was for his sake, he knew, but it was painful to watch. I-Sil was right; if returned to his own people, he would be killed, at best, and at worst he would be taken and used as a laboratory experiment. U-Lir shivered at the thought.

Before the inevitable happened, U-Lir realized he would likely have to do the merciful thing, and finish what he had first tried to do all those months ago.


	7. Chapter 7 - Judgement

Three days passed, and I-Sil began to fall into the pitiful hope that perhaps no action would be taken after all. But soon a stranger summoned them to the doorstep, and she knew her hopes were in vain.

With a heavy heart, she went to answer it. But she stepped back, eyes wide with surprise. The visitor was not whom she had expected. She gave a nervous bow, stuttering in her motions.

"G-greetings, U-Mos" she stammered, deepening her bow. She was confused, frightened almost. Why would the very Sentinel of Aether consider this matter important enough to pay a personal visit? I-Sil was made all the more nervous by his overpowering aura.

He bowed back, returning the formality.

"T-Kev seemed quite distressed when she informed me of a pirate taking residence in Torvus," he began. "I thought I would come to evaluate the situation for myself, considering the action she suggested taking."

I-Sil's eyes brightened. This was the chance she had wanted; to prove that Kayleer was not a threat. If she could convince U-Mos then perhaps his life could be spared after all.

She nodded in understanding, and offered U-Mos passage. She led him into her home.

"Do you know why the pirate was extradited from his own people?" U-Mos inquired.

I-Sil paused. Truth be told, she knew very little. "He was a slave," she began. "Perhaps he disobeyed an order or merely did not work as efficiently as he should have. It's possible he was simply injured while laboring. Whatever the case, if he was unable to work, his superiors would have killed him," she explained, citing what U-Lir had told her about pirate customs.

U-Mos seemed unconvinced, and narrowed his gaze. "So then, you are certain he is innocent of any real crime?"

I-Sil became quiet. She did not know much about Kayleer's life prior to their encounter.

"He was not much smarter than a krocuss when we first met," I-Sil explained. "I find it hard to imagine that a creature with such limited intelligence was capable of being a criminal."

U-Mos smiled wryly. "I see." As they rounded a bend, I-Sil led them into the lab. The atrium doubled now, as a recreational area for the pirate, who took quick notice of the stranger. His gaze was curious, yet frightened. He'd never seen another Luminoth besides his two guardians.

"He's been altered, I see," U-Mos said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"We thought it the only way to help him," I-Sil explained, though uncertain in her words.

U-Mos did not reply. Instead he merely analyzed the pirate from afar, silently taking note of his state of mind. He was afraid, he could sense that much. Confused; he was trying to piece together who U-Mos was and why he was here. But these simple thoughts were not enough to sate the Sentinel's suspicions.

"Do you mind if I examine him a bit closer?" he asked I-Sil. She nodded, unsure of how Kayleer would react. But she figured whatever it took to clear his name would be worth it, and so she did not hold U-Mos back.

Slowly, U-Mos approached Kayleer. The pirate's vigilant gaze widened, and he immediately stood up and backed away. He could feel some unseen pressure, an intangible force that pressed him from every angle. It only seemed to become more oppressive as the strange Luminoth drew closer.

U-Mos quickly noticed the effect he was having. He made an effort to suppress the aura he was putting out, but it did not seem to lessen the pirate's fears.

"_Kayleer," _U-Mos spoke gently, using the pirate's very sense of self to address him even though he did not yet know his real name. "_My name is U-Mos, and I am not here to harm you,"_ he assured him. He was only here to decide his fate, whether or not he would allow him to remain here.

The stranger loomed closer, his steps almost weightless against the stony ground. He moved like a spectre, and for a moment Kayleer questioned whether or not he was hallucinating. The oppressive air the stranger gave off was almost too heavy to bear, and Kayleer found himself pressing desperately against the wall, as though to escape. He felt as though the stranger would stop his heart with a single thought. His simple assurance had done nothing to calm him, for even during his first encounter with I-Sil he had not felt such a terrifying presence.

U-Mos was but an arm's-length from the pirate, who had been reduced to cowering the in the corner.

"_This will take but a moment, please do not be afraid." _He crouched down to meet the shorter creature, extending a hand to meet his forehead. The pirate's breathing had heightened to short, panicked breaths, and U-Mos could not help but feel bemused by the overreaction.

An almost-imperceptible tap of a finger was all Kayleer felt, but in that instant U-Mos saw everything he needed to about the pirate. He knew where he came from, and why he had left his own species. He could see how much he had changed since he had first encountered I-Sil. But most of all he could see the ethereal, the pirate's very soul, innocent and naive as it was, and U-Mos nearly laughed. T-Kev had thought this child a threat?

Yet beneath the pirate's sweet demeanor, U-Mos could sense something else. So obscure and hidden that even he could not fully detect it, lay something terribly dark. But just as quickly as it entered his senses, it was gone, lending not even a trace to track it. So brief was its presence that U-Mos decided it was nothing but an anomaly. He had seen all he needed, and broke away from the pirate's mind.

"_I sense no malice in you," _U-Mos said simply, standing up. He backed away, knowing the discomfort his presence afforded the pirate.

"So then, do you mean he can stay?" I-Sil inquired eagerly.

U-Mos pondered for a moment, then answered. "Yes, you may keep him under your care. I'm not sure I approve of you altering him, but I suppose there is no going back now. However," his tone became quite serious. "If his own species returns and demands you surrender him… I must ask that you comply."

I-Sil nodded. She understood that U-Mos would not allow Luminoth blood to be spilled for Kayleer's sake, and she would not object to his request.

With that, they exchanged bows. The Sentinel took his leave and left the pair in peace.


	8. Chapter 8 - Purpose

The place he had been brought to was beautiful, he found, once he stepped outside. The central temple was nearly always sunlit and bright, the weather under constant control. But the forest far beyond the temple was caught in a perpetual rainstorm that almost never stopped. Most of the Luminoth avoided the rain-wracked outer rim of Torvus, which made it the perfect sanctuary.

He found a few favorite spots in the bog; the roots of a wilting tree or an abandoned walkway. Somewhere quiet and secluded where he could think. He often lost track of time and ended up back home late at night.

He spent the longest time simply sitting and thinking, exploring the limits of his own intelligence. He found himself frustrated when he ran into those limits. He had complained, to U-Lir, and all he did was assure him that those limits would eventually dissipate. Patience was a valuable thing.

Eventually Kayleer found himself bored with his routines. He'd thought long enough to realize there was more to life than a constant cycle of thought and meditation. He craved purpose. Purpose wasn't something inborn, it was discovered. What was his?

I-Sil and U-Lir were no help on that front. They could only tell him what they did. I-Sil's expertise lay in medicine, a healer, long-experienced from the days of war on Aether. U-Lir was a geneticist, his science one that helped returned the biosphere to its pristine, unmutated form.

They were noble lines of work, but not something Kayleer could see himself doing. He remembered when he had first awoken; his fascination with his mechanical arm and his knee-jerk assumption that he had something to do with its crafting. The intricate array of wires, the perfectly-aligned sets of gears and pistons that allowed him to move it, so thoroughly intrigued him. A few times Kayleer had attempted to pick off the outer casing, just to have a peek inside, to know how it worked. He probably would have succeeded sooner were it not for the sharp spikes of pain the process elicited. It was a built-in way of reminding him that it was not merely a machine, but a part of him.

But despite such defensive measures, his curiosity one day managed to break it.

* * *

It was a bit of an embarrassing ordeal, having to get it fixed. There was only one person in Torvus who knew how to do it, and so he was given instructions and directions and sent off to find him. I-Sil wanted to accompany him, but U-Lir had insisted he go alone. If he was going to live among them, he would need to learn how to interact with others.

Kayleer was, for the first time, forced to walk among the Luminoth unaccompanied. He had avoided doing so for a very long time, for the very thought made him uncomfortable. He felt comically out of place, walking among giants. He felt inferior, unrecognized, and very self-conscious. He attracted stares, and he kept his gaze fixed downward, unwilling to answer their questioning eyes. Occasionally one would try to speak to him, but he kept them shut out. He stayed focused on where he was going and nothing else.

When he finally arrived at his destination, he wasn't any more certain how to go about interacting. V-Jme was a Luminoth, like any of the others he felt so dreadfully awkward around. But he needed his help. His left arm hung limply at the side, a pathetic reminder of his childish tampering. How was he going to explain this to the person who had so dutifully built it for him? Swallowing his pride he entered the lab and waited for the engineer to notice his presence.

Truth be told, Kayleer had not yet met V-Jme, and he did not know what he looked like. So he naturally assumed that the first one he met here would be him. This supposedly famous engineer was shorter than he expected. He looked young; far too young to be the seasoned expert he was said to be. The young Luminoth was quickly alerted to the stranger's presence, and looked up from his work, eyes wide.

Kayleer averted his gaze, unsure how to instigate the conversation. Lucky for him, the other did it for him.

"_Hey, aren't you that alien everyone's been talking about?"_

Surprised by being addressed as such, Kayleer met his gaze and looked confused. "But... don't you know me already? Aren't you V-Jme?"

The Luminoth laughed; he was flattered. "_Does this piece of junk look good enough to be his work? I wish,"_ he shook his head. "_No, I'm one of his apprentices. My name is A-Vei, what's yours?"_

"Kayleer," he answered quietly. "I'm looking for V-Jme."

A-Vei gave him a sideways glance and eyed his arm. He smiled when he saw what condition it was in. "_Oh wow, you really managed to bust it up, what did you do?"_ he asked, clearly amused. He'd never seen a prosthetic that looked as though it had been broken intentionally by its owner.

"Nevermind that, I just need him to fix me, do you know where he is?" Kayleer answered, unwilling to answer his question; he felt stupid enough as it was. But A-Vei clearly felt his embarrassment, and from that he could easily piece together the facts. Smirking slightly and suppressing a laugh, he pointed to a doorway to his left. Kayleer nodded in thanks and stepped through it, leaving the apprentice to his work.

The Luminoth in here was fiddling with a far-larger, more complex mechanoid. It stood on four legs with an opened dome at its center in which the Luminoth worked.

As was usual for them, the Luminoth immediately noticed Kayleer despite him having not made a sound nor sight. He looked down from his work, expression turning quite annoyed when he saw what had been done to his prosthetic. He leaped gracefully down from the mechanical creature and stepped over to Kayleer. Without asking permission, he knelt down and examined the arm, turning it over in his hands to evaluate its condition.

"_Well that didn't take you long, now did it?"_ he asked rhetorically. "_These don't break on their own, did you fall off a cliff? The rest of you looks fine. No, you did this to yourself. Why should I fix you, when you'll likely just break it again?" _

Kayleer looked down at the ground and failed to provide an answer. He was ashamed. Here after U-Lir had given him such vast intelligence, he still managed to do something so utterly, characteristically stupid. "I'm sorry," he blurted out, it was all he could say.

V-Jme's incriminating expression softened and he merely shook his head. "_What were you trying to do?"_ he asked, slightly less sarcastic. "_Did it itch? Hurt, even? Did it start moving on its own? That doesn't happen with __**my **__handiwork." _

"No, no none of that, I just..." Kayleer struggled for words. "I just wanted to know how it worked.." He looked back down at the ground and braced himself for more scolding. To his surprise, none came.

"_Oh, so that's it, how it works?" _V-Jme laughed, amused. "_You could've asked me, I could've shown you. You don't have to mutilate yourself,"_ he ended on a more serious note, stepping up and walking over to his workspace. He returned to Kayleer with a few tools in hand. "_Hold still."_

Swiftly and precisely, the engineer went about patching up his arm. Realigning all the gears the pirate had so carelessly disfigured, patching up the cracks and holes in the sheath he had made. So great was his skill that the entire process took less than fifteen minutes.

Once he was done, Kayleer tested it once more, moving the fingers and finding himself amazed by the quality of the repairs. It was as though it had never broken in the first place. He'd half expected to come here and have to be put out for a long, arduous surgery. This was a welcome surprise.

"Wow," he found himself muttering. He looked up at V-Jme. "Thank you."

The Luminoth waved his hand dismissively before returning to his workspace. That was a cue to go, Kayleer knew that much. So he turned around and prepared to leave.

"_Wait,"_ he heard V-Jme beckon him back. He turned around to see something glinting and metal fly towards him. Instinctively he caught it, and observed what he had received. It looked like his arm, very eerily identical, right down to the three, sharp pirate fingers. He was the only pirate here as far as he knew, why would he have made two?

"_It's the prototype,"_ V-Jme answered. "_It's something we make to test and fix so that the final product is optimal."_ The bulk of his explanation went right over Kayleer's head. "_Disassemble it to your heart's content."_

Kayleer was wholly surprised by the gesture, but didn't question it. He merely bowed his head in thanks and turned to go. A-Vei was still outside. He glanced at him, smiling. He had overheard.

"_I guess I'll have a lab buddy in a few days, huh?"_ he asked playfully.

Kayleer wasn't fully sure what he meant, but he smiled anyways. Working here certainly did seem inviting. Could he take more things apart?

"Guess so," he answered.


	9. Chapter 9 - Frustrations

The first few weeks, he had him disassemble things, then, build the same object from scratch. Simple machines, mostly. He wanted blueprints, schematics drawn solely from what he observed. V-Jme was a strict teacher, even though he insisted that Kayleer's workload was half what it was for any of his Luminoth apprentices.

U-Lir had given him a section of his lab to use as workspace. Datapads, half-scrawled schematics and note-ridden lightscribes littered the tiny, disorganized space. With every week came a new machine to work on, and Kayleer struggled to meet both deadlines and high expectations. He took his work very, very seriously. It was the only purpose he had ever known and so he allowed it to consume him.

Pirates didn't sleep, unlike Luminoth. Kayleer tried to use that to his advantage, working through days and nights without break. Despite no need for sleep, working in such a way was taking a toll. He often didn't get up to eat and didn't even take notice when he was hungry. Unbeknownst to him, such things only inhibited his ability to work.

Concerned for his well-being, I-Sil visited him one night in his workspace, trying to convince him to take a break. It had been three days since he had even left the lab, and she hated to see him so isolated. His head was in his hands and he had stopped, if only momentarily. Clearly he had run into a block.

He was quickly aware of being watched, and allowed himself the briefest of breaks to greet her.

"What is it?" he asked.

I-Sil was relieved that she got even that. She knew how obsessed he had been lately, and she had half expected to be ignored. She knew he wouldn't approve of what she was about to say, but she didn't let it stop her.

"_I can feel your stress all the way from our quarters,"_ she began. "_Please, take a break."_

He turned back to his desk and brushed her off, viewing her concern as nothing but a petty hindrance to his progress. "I can't," he answered simply.

I-Sil could see that she wouldn't get any response from talking, so she tried something else. She tried to imbue him with her own emotions, trying to change his mind. Kayleer's eyes began to glaze as he felt himself overcome with a feeling of calmness. His mind began to wander, to lose focus and doze off.

He realized what she was doing fast enough to stop it, shaking his head and snorting in abject annoyance, returning to his previous state.

"Don't do that," he warned, inklings of anger in his voice. I-Sil felt the abrasive turn in his words and flinched in surprise. He had never acted like this to her before.

Though hurt, she respected his decision and left him alone.

Kayleer sighed. He was frustrated. With work, with this damned machine, and now with I-Sil. He couldn't stop thinking about it all, his thoughts filled with anxieties. What if he didn't finish in time? What if he made a mistake? What if he failed? What if... I-Sil was right?

The onslaught of worries seemed very similar, he realized, to that which he had experienced when he first woke up. They were starting to get to him, and familiar feelings of panic were beginning to seed themselves. It finally dawned on him; how long _had _it been since he'd had a break? Since he'd sat in the rain? Since he'd experienced the calming tranquility of meditation? I-Sil was right, he never should have doubted that. He never should have shown so much loathing, when she was only trying to help. He would need to apologize to her, later. Right now he decided the best thing he could do was to take a long, well-deserved break. Work could wait.


	10. Chapter 10 - Visitors

Two sleek, blue ovals stared out from a hollow head. Just a casing; it was for aesthetics, mostly. The real focus was the inside; circuits and breadboards, steel joints and synthetic tendons. All came together to form a body, legs, a curious sort of animatronic creature. Kayleer was far from finished, though he'd started the basic work on it almost two years ago. It was a nice change from the assignments in his earlier years; a self-guided project, with very loose parameters to work from. There was freedom, he could build anything he wanted. The only downside was how much weighed on it.

It was a dissertation, of sorts. If he passed, his apprenticeship would end and he would be a fully fledged engineer. If he failed, he would have to try again, with a new project. Two years of work would be wasted.

Almost a decade had elapsed since the day when V-Jme had so casually thrown him that mechanical arm. Training took a long time, as did most things in Luminoth culture. It was one of the consequences of their longevity. Kayleer used to find himself quite frustrated with this; he was impatient. But the longer he lived, the more patience he gained. Nevertheless, failure was a very real threat, one which he still had trouble contending.

"So, what's it do again?" A-Vei asked, chiming in Aetherian. The days had long passed when Kayleer needed mental translation; spoken words came naturally now, both to and from him.

"It fixes things," he answered, trying to garner focus despite the thoroughly distracting presence of his friend.

"Uhuh, so like the prosthetic of an overly curious alien?"

"If it finds one, yes," Kayleer said jokingly. He hadn't broken his arm again since that one day so long ago, and yet it clung in both their memories; it was the day they'd first met. First impressions lasted, he supposed.

The inner body was nearing completion, wirey and ungainly as it was without its protective outer shell. It would need to be streamlined, to avoid entanglement of any kind, especially when inside another, larger machine. Kayleer's proposal had been simple; a personal maintenance unit. Maintenance robots existed already, certainly, but were often specialized to patch up parts for a single, large structure. Kayleer's creation would have a memory equipped with schematics and blueprints for over 15,000 known machines, and would be able to effectively repair any of them. An efficient and versatile model that would be able to operate on a huge number of other machines.

"I just uploaded the layout of your thesis machine, that's another thing it will be able to repair," Kayleer said, a hint of jealousy in his voice. A-Vei had already passed, earning his title as a Master. His had been a pollutant-purging pod that he let loose in Agon, the area of the last phazon reserves. There it had consumed nearly every particle of the stuff present on Aether's surface, and the supply of phazon had dwindled to nearly nothing. As a result, the pirates stationed there had long since abandoned. His creation had been so successful that many models were made and dispersed throughout Aether.

"Hm, that would be useful, I suppose, if anything I built ever broke," A-Vei said, mockingly conceited.

"You're even starting to _sound_ like V-Jme," Kayleer laughed.

"Careful, he has eyes and ears everywhere, and unlike me you still need to be on his good side if you want to pass," A-Vei joked, gesturing his hands menacingly.

He laughed good naturedly, ignoring the taunt. "I'll pass, don't worry," Kayleer said confidently.

"I'm not the one who's worrying," he retorted. "When I did mine, I took my time. I spaced out work and I took days off. I went _outside._ There's no rush you know, there isn't a deadline for this."

"I know," Kayleer answered simply. He was right, he knew, but Kayleer didn't like taking breaks.

"You _should_ take a day off, soon, you know, we'll be having visitors. Friendly ones, for once," A-Vei said excitedly.

"I would hardly call the Federation friendly," Kayleer said coldly.

"They're only coming to "establish relations,", help out, gather information, that's all," A-Vei quoted.

"Yeah? What do you think that means? They're at war, they want weapons, they want our technology," he spat pessimistically.

"U-Mos made his position on that clear; they get nothing. They can visit, talk, investigate prior pirate activity, and leave, that's it."

"What we give them does not matter, they will still want."

A-Vei only shrugged. "I think we can handle it," he looked off into the sky, seeming to contemplate something. "Well anyways, I'm curious to meet a human, aren't you?"

"Not even a little," Kayleer answered dully. "Besides, they hate pirates." He wasn't entirely sure how much like a pirate he still looked, but he certainly didn't look like a Luminoth, and he never fully would.

A-Vei sighed. "You're so boring sometimes."

"Boring gets work done," he retorted, fiddling with a circuit and making sure it was in its proper place.

"Then why'd I finish first?" A-Vei asked slyly.

"You started sooner."

"Right, how much sooner, exactly? Was it two weeks? And I finished months ago," he taunted.

Kayleer sighed, thoroughly peeved. "Is there a point to this conversation?"

"Yes, to convince you to try something new for once."

Kayleer growled. He didn't want to. But his friend was relentless and it was only due to his constant nagging that he finally gave in. The Federation would land in two days, and he would be there.


	11. Chapter 11 - Federation

A-Vei startled him from his meditating with an obnoxious blast of excited emotion. Kayleer opened his eyes and glared at him, annoyed. No matter how his friend tried to share his feelings, Kayleer would never feel them. But, as he had promised, he would accompany him as the aliens made planetfall.

"I brought you something," A-Vei said. He held out his hand to reveal something spherical and metallic, with deep, defining groves on its surface. Kayleer hadn't the slightest idea what it was.

"What is it?"

"Well, I got to thinking earlier that you won't be able to say much to humans, considering you don't speak their language. And you can't," A-Vei paused, searching for words. "Well, you can't do what we do, yet."

"Yes, thank you for reminding me," it was one of his biggest peeves, when A-Vei pointed out his inadequacies; of the finer, more advanced Luminoth abilities he was lacking.

"But that's what this is for," A-Vei said excitedly. "I made it, it's a translator. It'll turn Aetherian into human language. Just put it on your jaw and it'll translate words as they come out, pretty convenient, huh?"

"If you think that's going anywhere near my face, you're crazy," he responded, perfectly serious.

"Oh come on, how else are you going to talk humans out of trying to kill you? You are a pirate, after all," A-Vei chided.

"Forget it, I'm not going," Kayleer shot back. He had enough apprehensions about meeting humans as it was and A-Vei certainly wasn't helping.

"Wait! Alright alright I'm sorry, but look, I realized you might have trouble communicating so I went and _made_ you this. At least try it."

Kayleer sighed, exasperated. Why was he so desperate to get him to do this? "Fine," he surrendered, and took the tiny metal object from him. "How does it work again?"

"Just put it like... Just bite it," A-Vei explained in simplified terms. "It'll do the rest."

Reluctantly Kayleer obeyed, clamping the tiny thing firmly in his mandibles. Instantly it reacted, the tiny sphere expanded, shooting out wires and joints. It lodged itself into the roof of his mouth while two tiny wires worked their way outwards, towards his ears. He could feel it taking up space and nearly touching his throat. Truth be told, it was quite painful. He roared in shock and grabbed at it for a moment, but the process ended quickly and so did the pain. He shook his head and gave A-Vei an angry expression.

"No warning, I had _no warning _for that! What's wrong with you?!"

"Ohhh yeah, you have nerves in your jaw, don't you," A-Vei shrugged.

Typical, it was so typical of him to do something like this. Kayleer was fuming now, but he soon put it to rest. Getting mad at A-Vei was pointless. The pain was gone, anyways, that was all that mattered.

"It's thought activated, so just think about speaking human and it'll make human come out, simple as that," A-Vei continued, unabated.

Kayleer brushed him off and started walking. A-Vei knew he was mad, but instead of empathizing he merely smiled, filled with mirth. But Kayleer knew he hadn't intended for it to be painful, so he forgave him, and the two started walking towards the central temple.

* * *

The Federation ship had just dropped through the atmosphere and made a neat landing in the center of the temple. U-Mos was already there waiting for them. If he was here to oversee the event, it must be a big deal, Kayleer thought to himself. He and A-Vei decided to make do with watching from a distance, for now.

The sleek, silver ship opened its hull and extended a ramp. A strange, pale-skinned creature topped with black hair was the first to emerge, followed by seven others clad in armor. Armor; they were soldiers, they carried weapons in their hands. If Kayleer hadn't had prior context, he would have thought this an invasion.

But there were only seven of them, and their weapons were to their sides. As the one in lead made his way over to U-Mos, he stopped, and raised his right hand to his forehead. The soldiers followed suit. U-Mos responded with a bow. An exchange of greetings.

The humans dropped their salutes and the one in front was the first to speak.

"U-Mos, right? Good to meet you," he bellowed, offering his hand. What did that gesture mean? U-Mos seemed to know, as he took the much-smaller hand in his own and shook it. To Kayleer's surprise, he understood the words that came from the human. A-Vei's little creation translated it straight to Aetherian which resonated soundly in his ears.

"_And you, Councilman Markeley,"_ U-Mos answered, he eyed the squadron behind him suspiciously, noticing their guns. They were attached to the arms of their suits and so could not be disarmed without removing the armor. He shook his head. Those suits may be standard, but he did not approve that they carried weapons. "_I had hoped you would come unarmed."_

"These are for our own protection, in case we get chased down by pirates," he insisted. "And I remind you that Aether was formerly home to both pirates and phazon."

Pirates, phazon, and Ing, U-Mos remembered with a shudder. But the humans didn't need to know about that. "_Both those problems have been dealt with,"_ U-Mos stated firmly.

"None of my men will point a weapon at your Luminoth," he responded, assuring him.

U-Mos paused for a moment, looking the soldiers over. Unbeknownst to them, he was scoping them out, searching for signs of insincerity.

"_You do not lie,"_ U-Mos said, satisfied. "_Though one of your men seems to not take you seriously," _he cast a stern look at the soldier directly behind him, who toddled uncomfortably on his feet.

The human was insulted, frankly, that U-Mos would doubt the integrity of any one of his men. But an argument was the last thing he wanted to start here. "I'll keep my men in line, Sir, just worry about yours."

"_I will speak with you in absence of your soldiers,"_ U-Mos stated sternly, unwilling to budge on that front. The Councilman nodded and allowed himself to be led away into the temple.

His escort seemed confused, having been left outside. But one took quick advantage of the situation. He popped open his visor and smiled at his team. "Well, job's on hold til he comes out, so you guys can relax," he said. He rested his arm cannon against his shoulder and walked back onto the ship. One more followed him, while the other five remained outside. The atmosphere dissipated almost immediately from high strung to casual, and it made everyone breathe a little easier. The observing Luminoth felt at ease to approach the soldiers, bowing in greeting and instigating conversations.

"They feel weird," A-Vei said suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"Their emotions, so volatile. When U-Mos picked out that one soldier, he knew what he was talking about. I swear that guy didn't like being around U-Mos _at all._ Or any of us. All of the humans are just so... undisciplined. They don't hold anything back, you can see right through them whether you want to or not," A-Vei explained. Kayleer didn't understand much. He wasn't a full empath, yet, but he understood the gist of what his friend was saying. Humans were non-empaths. They couldn't feel and reciprocate each others' emotions like Luminoth could, so it made sense that they had no ability to hide or mediate them. If they had come in high enough numbers, probably no Luminoth would be able to stand being near them.

A-Vei interrupted his thoughts with a mischievous laugh. "I wanna talk to them. The VIPs are gone, so we can get closer."

"I think I'll stay up here and watch, thanks," Kayleer said stubbornly, leaning against the stony wall. Now that he knew the humans had come here armed, he was all the more reluctant to chance going near them.

A-Vei shook his head and sighed. "Suit yourself," and with that he took the lift down to the ground level of the temple, where the humans and their ship were waiting.

Kayleer watched as A-Vei freely struck up a chat with one of the soldiers. The visor of this one's helmet had popped open, revealing a dark-skinned face with two black eyes to match. The other beside him looked quite different, with pale skin and softer features. He noticed that one looked different from any of the other soldiers; very fundamentally so. The voice the soldier emitted was of higher register as well. Kayleer found the diversity between the individual creatures fascinating.

Without fully realizing it, Kayleer had indeed become intrigued by the visiting aliens, and found himself taking mental note of all their interactions. His gaze flickered as he squinted his eyes, a bright reflected light disturbing his line of sight. Something glinted in his periphery and demanded his attention.

A large metal rifle, peeking out through one of the ship's open ports. It froze in its position, and Kayleer realized he was staring right down the barrel.


	12. Chapter 12 - Abduction

Instinctively Kayleer dove. It didn't matter where, which direction, he just needed to move! The weapon made a resounding, sharp pang that rocked through the temple walls. Kayleer heard the ear-splitting sound of something sharp and deadly breaking the sound barrier as it whizzed by him, just barely missing his head.

"PIRATE!"

It took a full second for him to realize what had happened. He looked up again to see the sniper adjusting his position; getting ready to fire again. Somehow Kayleer doubted he would miss a second time. He could do nothing but run and hope his movements were enough to throw him off.

Another shot; this one clipped him in the leg. He roared in pain and stumbled over the handrail, falling to the ground floor of the temple. He hit the floor hard, his heart was racing and he was terrified. He couldn't move, and he waited for one final shot.

"Adelaide! Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" the commander screamed at the top of his lungs, wrestling the rogue marine out of his sniper nest and throwing him roughly against the wall.

"Sir! There was a pirate standing watch inside the temple, fucking moths are allied with them, I know it," he yelled in defense.

"Pirate?" that piqued the commander's interest.

A woman's voice spiked through their communicators, "Affirmative sir, Anderson and I just saw him fall to the lower level, we're moving in on him."

She held her gun at the ready and ran towards the pirate. He looked injured from the fall, struggling to sit up, pushing his back against a wall and growling quietly.

Her teammate followed suit, rushing ahead and jumping on the pirate before he had the chance to draw a weapon. Before the pirate could react, the marine had him pressed down against the wall, arm cannon aimed straight at his face.

Terrified for his life, Kayleer did the only thing he could think of.

"DON'T SHOOT!"

"What?" The marine remained atop the pirate, suppressing him against the temple wall. Yet his grip slackened just the tiniest of bits as he grappled with his confusion.

The other marine gave the pirate an incriminating glare, "I think this thing can talk," she said, surprised.

"Of course I can talk!" Kayleer blurted, second-naturedly speaking in human tongue. The translator had just ended up saving his life after all.

That just seemed to confuse the human more, but at the very least she did not raise her weapon.

"Shendra, what are you doing? Finish the thing before it calls for reinforcements! That is an order," the commander's voice blasted in her ear.

"_Your entire species is crazy!"_ Kayleer heard A-Vei call. His friend rushed to his side, offering him a hand. The two marines quickly backed off. They had been ordered to show no hostility towards the Luminoth, and now it seemed they had two commands conflicting. Kayleer had never been so relieved to see a familiar face. He graciously accepted the outstretched hand and stood up. He was bleeding, bruised, but not seriously injured, and for that he considered himself incredibly lucky. He'd almost been killed.

The other marines began to approach them, and A-Vei put himself between them and Kayleer.

"_Back off,"_ he spat.

The marines seemed unsure how to respond. The sniper from before raised a weapon to A-Vei, he was ready to take him down without a problem.

"Stand down, Stevens," his commander issued an order, putting his hand on the rifle and pushing it downwards. The one called 'Stevens' complied.

All the commotion had drawn U-Mos and the human leader forth from the temple. The black-haired human seemed just as surprised as any of the soldiers, the tell-tale signs of suspicion and hate inching their way into his expression. He said nothing, as he hadn't a clue how to respond.

"Keep an eye on these two," the commander said, before making his way over to the Councilman. "Sir, we found an unarmed pirate snooping around the temple. The thing appears mutated, and can speak. The Luminoth are defending it," was his simple, concise report.

The Councilman turned his gaze to U-Mos. "With all due respect, can you offer me an explanation as to why you are harboring a pirate? I thought they had gone from Aether, as was a condition for opening up relations between our species," the Councilman said as calmly as he could.

U-Mos looked at Kayleer and A-Vei. He had given U-Lir and I-Sil his blessing, but he had not anticipated this.

"_Kayleer's original species is of no consequence. He is one of us,"_ he answered.

"That doesn't answer our question," one of the soldiers yelled angrily. It was Stevens. "Why is there a pirate here? Was he part of some sort of mutant program you freaks were trying to run? Or maybe some augmentation program the pirates commissioned you for? That's it isn't it, you furry freaks are helping them build soldiers!" the heat of his unrestrained anger was enough to make every Luminoth in the temple flinch in discomfort.

"We need to take him into custody, maybe he can shed some light on what the pirates were doing here," the commander said calmly, thinking ahead.

A-Vei answered this time, "_Kayleer ran from his people because he hated them as much as you do, and we gave him a home, that's it! What kind of nonsense is this, Luminoth aiding the pirate war effort? You're out of your mind!"_

"Insult me again moth-boy, see what happens," Stevens answered harshly, pointing a rifle at his face.

"_I'm not afraid of you. What's wrong? Can't respond so you let your gun do the talking?"_

Another marine rushed to hold back Stevens. He let a missed plasma round fly into the sky as he shouted swears and threats in A-Vei's direction.

"ENOUGH!" Kayleer screamed, his voice echoing in both Aetherian and English. He pushed past A-Vei and made his way boldly up to the Councilman. He looked him in the eye and spoke with a passion, "Take me, if you must, I will answer your questions. Please," he looked back at A-Vei and the others, "just leave the Luminoth in peace, that is all I ask." And it was true. Kayleer would gladly lay down his life if it meant stopping another war from ensuing on Aether. Relations with the Federation were tenuous enough as it was; thinking there was a pirate-Luminoth alliance in the works would certainly tip the balance of peace.

The Councilman hesitated, before finally giving his order.

"Take the pirate to the ship," he said at last. Two marines grabbed Kayleer by his arms and dragged him onto the ship. It was wholly unnecessary, as Kayleer would have gone willingly, but the marines were clearly not used to cooperation. "The Federation will return to negotiate... when I'm satisfied there is no alliance," the Councilman said darkly. What would happen then, if Kayleer couldn't put his suspicions to rest?

He looked behind once, taking one last look at his people, at Aether, before being dragged into the dark, foreboding human ship.


	13. Chapter 13 - Prisoner

Kayleer had never left Aether before. He didn't know what he expected space flight to feel like. Would it make him nauseous? To his relief, he felt at ease even as the ship took off from the surface and shot into space. It was as though he were already used to it.

He had never been a prisoner before. It was only now that he was beginning to appreciate all the wonderful freedom he had been allowed since his short days as a slave. He could go where he wanted, explore the rainy forest or the many temples scattered around it. He could build, disassemble machines. Being locked in a cell came as a sudden, and very staggering change. But there was always one thing Kayleer could fall back on, one thing that could never be taken from him.

He did not complain. He did not show anger. All he did was sit calmly in his cell, legs folded beneath him, eyes closed in thought, waiting. It troubled him, this sense of passivity, but when he weighed his options it was certainly the best one, despite the feeling of discomfort it afforded him. He wished he could do more to help his own situation.

He was startled from his meditation by words outside. Two humans were talking.

"The hell is he doing?"

"Don't ask me," the other shrugged.

"I think he's going all zen on us," the human laughed. "Ohhhmmm, ohmmmmm, ohmmm," he mocked.

"Shut up you two, this isn't funny."

"Really? Mutant pirate shows up, soils negotiations, Luminoth don't know what the fuck's going on..." he seemed to fill with mirth from the chaos that had happened on Aether. "It is _kinda_ funny."

"You think this is some kind of joke? Do you know what a horrible record the Federation has trying to form peaceful relations with other species? What is it, three, four races? The rest hate us, they avoid us altogether or do as the pirates do and try to kill us," the woman's voice echoed through the ship. "This was a chance to finally change that record, maybe make humans look a little better in the face of the galaxy. But you," she spat harshly. "Adelaide you fucking moron, you went and ruined everything! It's people like you that start wars!"

"Whoa-oa, that escalated quickly, didn't it?"

Shendra shook her head, utterly disgusted.

"Come on, Shendra, calm down," Adelaide said condescendingly. He stood up and walked over to her. He tapped her on the shoulder and looked her in the eye. "They're just aliens, so stop throwing a fit."

Shendra took that moment to slap him square in the cheek. Lucky for her, both their visors were up and she made contact with his face rather than a helmet. He winced in pain, clutching his face.

"Fucking hell, what's wrong with you, woman?!"

Shendra walked angrily out of the prison room. The other marine followed her.

"You can keep guard alone," was the last, snide thing she said before leaving.

Kayleer found himself laughing quietly. The one called Adelaide had been the one to try and kill him, after all, and now he lay broken in the corner, having been thoroughly put down by another of his species. Unfortunately for him, he heard him laughing.

"You think something's funny, pirate?"

Kayleer closed his eyes and returned to his thoughts, hoping the human would ignore him. Sadly, it didn't look as though that were happening.

The human knocked roughly on the blue hard light that closed off his cell. "I know you understand me, asshole, talk back."

"I do not want to further our conflict, human," Kayleer replied simply. Truth be told, he wasn't afraid. The wall that trapped him also protected him from the alien outside.

"Tch," the human spat. "Don't worry, the interrogators will put your smart allec mouth in line."

Kayleer sighed. What a mess. I-Sil and U-Lir had no doubt been informed. He wished he had been more careful. He wished he could have said goodbye. He wished he had some way of knowing what was going to happen to him, to Aether...

It was a matter of waiting now. Waiting to hear. Kayleer nodded off into meditation and truthfully lost track of time. Then, he heard footsteps. Another marine entered the prison room and spoke to Adelaide. It was the one who had slapped him earlier. Good, Kayleer liked that one.

"Switch off watch duty, commander's orders," she said concisely. The other marine didn't say anything, nor did he make eye contact. He simply up and left, pushing past her without a word. The female took his place as the doors slid closed behind him.

She didn't seem as talkative as her more volatile comrade, but Kayleer knew her to be of a far more agreeable nature. Now was an opportunity to glean information.

"Can you tell me where we are going?" Kayleer inquired, keeping his voice quiet and calm. He didn't want to sound too demanding.

She glanced at him, hesitant. She had never spoken to a pirate before; the two species usually did not communicate at all. But what reason was there not to respond, now?

"The G.F.S. Olympus," she muttered quietly. "About five hours away." She did not look at him when she spoke, preferring instead to look at the ground.

At least he wasn't travelling too far, he thought. He observed the marine. The difference between her and the one before was staggering, and he found himself fascinated by that fact. From what he had seen, humans were violent, paranoid people, but this one seemed different.

"Shendra," he quoted, remembering what she had been called earlier. "Right?"

She looked at him, wholly surprised to have been called by her name. She didn't answer him. Pirates didn't speak, they roared. They didn't ask questions, they demanded. They didn't meditate, they kicked and clawed and screamed death threats. Just what was this creature?

"What are you?" she asked, thoroughly confused, her brow furrowing in apprehension.

Kayleer laughed, trying to lighten the mood. Truth be told, he wasn't entirely certain how to answer the question. She didn't seem to share his optimism, and did not respond.

No matter what he said, what he sounded or looked like, he was still a pirate. Pirates killed humans, and vice versa. It had been that way for as long as Shendra could remember. It was hard for her to let go of her animosity, even in the face of so different an enemy.

Kayleer tried to understand why the humans had done what they did. Pirates were at war with them, that much he knew. Certainly in a war it paid to be distrustful, a sad fact indeed. Kayleer was so used to living in a world where virtually everyone trusted one another. He had never seen a Luminoth do violence unto another Luminoth, but humans seemed to do it so freely. It was no surprise then, that a species that would harm its own was capable of throwing an innocent person in prison.

But Kayleer did not give up. There was still much he wanted to know. He was afraid for his people and for his life, and he needed to understand what was going to happen. So he attempted to gain the human's trust.

"I had never seen humans, before you came," he said quietly. "If that means anything to you. I have never held a weapon, and I have never killed."

"Yeah?" Shendra asked rhetorically. "I wish I could believe that." As far as she was concerned, he was a pirate and there was no such thing as a civilian pirate. They all, in one way or another, contributed to the war-mongering efforts of High Command. Shendra was a soldier, she had killed many of his kind, and though she would be the first to admit he was a bit different, he was what he was.

Her words hurt and Kayleer decided not to speak anymore. It was pointless. The human's hatred was too deeply rooted to be taken down by mere words. Soon she left, replaced by another marine, and then another. They switched off, giving each other breaks, distributing work to help one another. Soon the hours were up, and they arrived at their destination.

The small ship docked inside something far more massive. The space-borne equivalent of an aircraft carrier, and an important base of operations for the Federation.

Kayleer heard the marines return to his cell and open it. As the shield fell, they raised their weapons, prepared to deal with any hostility he had to offer. He did nothing, once more, and allowed himself to be cuffed and led away onto the Olympus.


	14. Chapter 14 - Interrogation

"All I know is that they were mining it, I don't know anything else, I swear!" Kayleer practically yelled. The interrogation had been going on for hours and the only answers he could give were ones they saw as useless.

The Federation wanted to know how the pirates were utilizing phazon, and more importantly, where they could find more.

During the first reconnaissance, investigating their lost task force, the Federation had discovered phazon on Aether. Unaware of its potential, they only took small samples, leaving the planet with most of its stores intact. A mistake on their part, for the pirates quickly returned and established a new mining operation. In order to preserve Aether's neutrality, the Federation had held off from intervening.

But the presence of phazon in the pirates' army had tipped the scales of war. Their forces, from what Kayleer could glean, had grown in power and severity ever since the mining operations had started. The Federation was desperate to even the balance.

Truth be told, Kayleer would have told them everything if he only knew. All he wanted at this point was to go home.

"Admiral, he was found on Aether recently, the mining operations were discontinued months ago. Maybe he really did defect as he claims."

The one he had addressed intertwined his fingers and stared at the pirate from across the table. "We can't give up, this is one of the only captured pirates who didn't _kill himself _before we could get answers," the Admiral huffed, clearly frustrated. "He can't be just a dead end." His men were dying, the war turning in the pirates' favor. If just one could give them the answers they needed, perhaps they could gain the upper hand.

The Admiral turned his gaze to Kayleer. Throughout the interrogation, he had come to respect that there was something different about this pirate. Clearly the Luminoth had done something very profound to change him. He had divulged as much information as he could, and was strangely cooperative for someone of his species. His story made him look very innocent indeed. The Admiral did plan on letting him go free, and he would be more inclined to do so if he got the information he wanted. The pirate had started life in the mines, and he fixated on that fact.

"You were mining phazon, correct?"

"Yes," Kayleer said, exasperated. How many times was he going to ask that?

"And you don't know what they were using it for, or where else they were mining it."

"It was corrosive, so perhaps they used it as fuel," Kayleer shook his head, trying to recall information that simply wasn't there. "And I have no idea if it exists anywhere other than Aether. It came to us on a meteorite, but from where we do not know."

Phazon, phazon, that's all he wanted to know about. Kayleer knew nothing about it and he was just as frustrated as the Admiral. It mutated things, it had done that on Aether. It was explosive, so it could be used as fuel. What about it was so interesting?

The Admiral turned to his fellow interrogator, a shorter man clad in a helmetless armorsuit. "Maybe this one is recycled," he said quietly, making a quick gesture with his hand. The other man nodded in understanding and left the room.

Kayleer shot the Admiral a quizzical expression. What was he talking about?

"What do you mean by that?"

He seemed not to notice his question, but Kayleer knew he heard.

"Admiral, please," he reasoned. "I will cooperate if you simply tell me."

He sighed, wiping his hand on his face. "Look, Kayleer, was it? I respect you, and the Luminoth. Now your story, it's far-fetched but I believe it," he admitted. "Some slaves, are... reused. Once a soldier or commander becomes useless, they get demoted, and get remade as pirate slaves," he explained.

"What? But I don't, I don't remember ever being anything else," Kayleer laughed nervously. "I was new, I've never..." he struggled for words. The Admiral's explanation thoroughly shocked him and it made him scared. He looked down and fidgeted with his fingers. Was it possible that he used to be someone else entirely? No, no of course it wasn't. "I would remember, wouldn't I?"

The Admiral shrugged. "Maybe we can help you remember, or see if there's anything there at all. If you let us try, you can go free."

Kayleer didn't like being given ultimatums, but he could see the human was desperate. He seemed genuine enough, and Kayleer himself was desperate to go home, so he reluctantly agreed.

The assistant returned and placed some sort of cube-shaped machine on the table. Two marines followed him into the interrogation room.

"Pirates usually do a sloppy job of this, leave a lot left unpurged and just cover everything up," the Admiral explained, drawing a needle-tipped wire from the machine. "This," he motioned to it, "Was adapted from the same technology they use to do it."

Kayleer narrowed his gaze, observing it. He was having second thoughts, naturally. "Will it have a permanent effect?"

"No, the memories should only last as long as the procedure."

Kayleer wasn't convinced. "How many pirates have you used it on, before?"

The Admiral looked unsure. "One," he said simply, unwilling to go into more detail. "But keep in mind, most pirates don't let themselves be taken prisoner in the first place."

He could see he wasn't going to get any more out of him. Kayleer sighed. "You will return me to Aether, once this is all over?"

"You have my word," he promised.

Kayleer nodded affirmatively. One of the men unlatched the wire from the machine and came towards him.

"It… goes into the back of the head. All pirates have a small defunct port there, from previous programming," he explained, motioning with his hands.

Hesitantly, Kayleer bowed his head. He growled as he felt a spike of pain penetrate the back of his skull.

He didn't know what to expect. From what he had been told, it was possible there was a part of him, something that came before his life as a slave, that he had never known. He was curious, yet deathly afraid. He was almost sure they would find nothing.

Sadly, more than that awaited him. It came as a slow flow of realization. Of new memories that didn't seem to be his own.

"Unit... 215," he began, stammering. "Science Team?"

"A scientist? That's perfect! What did you do?"

"Tallon, I was stationed on Tallon IV. That was where- we first discovered phazon. It was incredible," Kayleer gasped. His eyes bolted open and he lost his focus.

"You just had it," the Admiral said, frustrated. "Try again," he motioned to the proctor.

"Wait, I-" Kayleer felt it more strongly this time, his words cut off. His eyes clamped shut once more and he shook his head.

"What were you using the phazon for?" he heard him ask.

"Augmentation, it could make a growing pirate have a mass increase of 2000%, it mutated, it gave them unimaginable strength, but-," Kayleer's eyes opened again and the memories faded. He felt struck by an aching pain and clutched his head. "I'm sorry..."

"Dammit! Not now, we're so close," he motioned again to the proctor to increase the amplitude.

Again Kayleer shut his eyes and felt the strain against his mind. The memories came not in a flow now but a rush, uncontained and chaotic. Visions of phazon-mutated monstrosities, of the first samples being collected and used on wildlife, before being consumed by pirates. War, weapons, dead pirates and humans littering scarred battlegrounds. The images horrified him, pushing him into a panic.

"Stop!" he cried, but it was too late. Something inside him snapped. He was past panic now, and his eyes flared open. He could feel the presence of something new. Volatile, angry emotions, fear and hatred. He roared, infuriated, and Kayleer felt his weak will pushed aside by something stronger. The words that came from him now were not Aetherian nor English, they were Urtraghian.

"What did those bastards do to me, I'll kill them!" he roared, taking out his anger on the nearest object. He gashed out a mark on the table with his mechanical arm. It was only then he took notice of the Admiral. "Human?" he growled in disbelief. He hissed once before lunging at him. The Admiral had expected this, that was why he had requested two armed marines to be present. They grabbed him and held him back. He struggled, but his body was far weaker than he remembered and he found himself easily suppressed.

He growled in frustration, turning his gaze back to the Admiral. "Come a little closer so I can tear your throat out," he spat menacingly, flashing his fangs.

"Now that's the pirate I want to talk to," the Admiral said calmly, speaking into a translator. He was seemingly unfazed by his dangerous change in demeanor. "Unit 215, was it?"

"I'll tell you nothing, human filth," he snarled.

"Fine, then you can go back to hiding beneath that slave's mind."

That seemed to pique the pirate's attention. "Slave?" He took a moment to realize that he was different than he remembered. Weaker, so snivelling and weak, his voice less deep, predatory eyesight so greatly reduced. The last thing he remembered was being forced into a stasis tube by his comrades. They had refused to listen to his warnings. Finally it dawned on him; he had been recommissioned as a slave. As a brainless, meager-bodied slave. He took it as a blasphemous insult to his previous prestige. He roared again, lamenting the injustice that had been done to him.

"Those fools," he cried to no one. "They dig their own graves!" he roared.

"What do you mean?"

The pirate had almost forgotten his present company. "Shut your filthy maw," he snorted, spitting in the Admiral's direction. This pirate was particularly uncooperative, and the Admiral could see he wasn't going to get answers the traditional way.

"Knock him out."

The last thing the pirate was aware of was an almost utterly painless injection to the back of his neck, and everything went black.


	15. Chapter 15 - Confession

"Unit 215, we grow impatient, what do you have to report?"

The pirate became aware and alert again. He was in a lab, surrounded by vats of phazon. He didn't see any of the test subjects he was working on... what room was he in again?

"UNIT 215!" the voice roared again. The pirate looked up to a monitor with an impatient member of High Command looking down on him.

"Sir!" he cried, utterly surprised. "Please excuse my impudence, what do you request?"

"Typical for Science Team to be so utterly incompetent. I asked for your latest report regarding phazon testing."

"Phazon..." the pirate began to remember. "Yes, with all due respect, my Superior, I propose we cease all phazon projects indefinitely."

"What? I hope you have evidence to back up your mad proposal."

"I do," the pirate seemed hesitant for he knew High Command would not approve. "As I previously reported, phazon functions as an unparalleled steroid as well as a fuel. In that regard, it has given us an advantage."

"Yes, of course, then why do you even dare to suggest its discontinuation?"

"I have found something troubling; as we continue to infect ourselves, we aid the evolution of the parasite. It grows, it steals the minds of its host. Phazon madness is decreasing, which seemed at first to be a good thing. But," he explained, "it staves off the madness in favor of controlling its host. We've made the thing intelligent! Every body it infects becomes a slave," he spoke with ardor. "If we continue to use it on our troops, it will only make us stronger to serve its own vile purpose. We will not be able to control the infected for much longer; they will become nothing but assimilated fodder," he finished with a sinister snarl.

"Your opinion is noted, Unit 215. Do you have anything else to report?"

The pirate seemed exasperated, feeling as though his warnings were seen as nothing but idealistic dribble. "Nothing since my last reviews on the test subjects," he replied.

"Yes, why don't you tell me about those?"

"Sir, I submitted those reports on schedule, last cycle as requested."

"I request a verbal report now."

"What?" The question was very uncharacteristic of High Command. They did not ask for specifics like test results to be discussed personally. This was strange, something was wrong. Out of the corner of his eye, the pirate noticed the tiniest sliver of light inch its way across the lab. He moved forward to investigate and felt the tug of something from the back of his head. He reached a hand there to feel a cord. He turned around, shocked to find it trailed off and ended in mid-air, with seemingly no source.

The pirate roared, quickly realizing he had been duped. He pulled the cord towards him, a machine slid across an invisible table and into view, shattering the illusion. Suddenly the pirate remembered. He had given this report before, it had been his last, and the scene had been quite different. He had been fooled into divulging it to the observing humans. Now he could see them, one sitting so complacently at a table, monitoring the machine that was plugged into his head, manipulating his vision and senses. Two others standing guard at a door behind him. He was furious.

"Human scum, how _dare you fool __**me**_!" he roared. He lunged at the nearest human, letting loose a vicious roar into his face. He was unarmored, the foolish creature. So with furious strength the pirate wrapped his claws around his neck and gripped him, smirking in delight as he heard him sputter and struggle.

"Pull the plug!" a human voice cried.

Another armored entity rushed behind the pirate and gripped the attached cord. He released his victim and whirled around to meet the other human, but too late. The marine kicked against his back and with a loud, sickening spark he pulled out the only thing keeping the former scientist alive.

The pirate fell to the floor, taking a full minute to recover. When he finally opened his eyes again, Unit 215 was gone. Kayleer gasped, eyes wide with terror as he struggled to come to bears with what had just happened.

He remembered being pushed away, being subdued by another mind within his own. It frightened him deeply, that such a being existed. One whom he did not even know.

"Are you okay?" the question was not directed at him but the human who was lying injured and wheezing on the floor across from him. A marine stood above, looking into his face. His neck was rife with slashes, fresh red blood trailing down and onto the floor. Kayleer realized that same blood was on his own fingers.

"What did I do..." he whimpered. Had he-?

"He needs immediate medical attention!" the marine cried.

Kayleer watched in silence as the injured human was carried out by his fellow men. The sound of his pained coughs filled his mind as he looked down at the floor, wracked with guilt.

Kayleer was left alone. He didn't care. Was he to be punished for his deed? Put to death? The Admiral had promised him freedom, and yet Kayleer hardly felt he deserved it, after what he had done. He had been revealed for what he truly was. After all these years, beneath the passive, Luminoth-turned pirate lay a violent, sociopathic monster. And though Kayleer could not feel his presence anymore, he knew he was there, festering in his mind, lying in wait to be released and spread his violence to every being around him.

He clutched his legs against his chest and covered his face in shame. Uncertain of his future, he waited, alone and afraid.

Soon he heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Time to go, pirate."

Kayleer looked up into the stern, dark face of the Admiral. "Go where..." he asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

"You will be returned to Aether, as promised. The information you gave us is absolutely invaluable," he said proudly. "For that we owe you a debt of gratitude."

"Gratitude?" Kayleer snorted. "What about that marine, is he...?"

The Admiral fell silent, averting his gaze. "He's alive," he said finally.

The response came as some reprieve, but it wasn't enough to put Kayleer's fears to rest. "But, is he going to be okay?"

"There's an escort waiting for you on the lower level, hurry and get up."


	16. Chapter 16 - Homecoming

Kayleer was escorted back on the same vessel, the same crew, by which he was captured. It was a bit of a struggle for them to accept that he was a passenger and not a prisoner this time.

Kayleer was anxious about having to deal with Adelaide. His animosity had hardly lessened since their last encounter, and the fact that he wasn't behind bars just made the human angrier. Paranoid, the marine chose a spot close by Kayleer, to keep an eye on him. Shendra, in turn, remained close by to keep an eye on both of them.

Adelaide's incriminating glare made Kayleer uneasy, until finally he was fed up.

"You don't have to keep tabs on me, Adelaide," he mumbled, finally making eye contact.

The marine cringed when he heard his name spoken. "Gotta make sure you don't do something you'll regret, pirate," he spat back.

"My name is Kayleer. I address you by your name, please give me the same respect."

Adelaide snorted, amused. "Yea? That's your new one right, what was it before you were recycled?"

Kayleer bristled at the mention and didn't respond. How did he know? He was surprised, and let slip the slightest expression of confusion before shamefully averting his gaze. Adelaide seemed to take a sort of satisfaction from it.

"Yeah, don't think I didn't see what you did to that marine. Poor guy will be lucky if he ever walks again. I bet he's not the first either, former Science Team member, right? Bet there's a lot of blood on those hands. It's a fucking travesty they didn't execute you right then and there on the Olympus."

"Adelaide that's enough," Shendra warned him. She feared the situation might get out of hand, and instinctively twitched her trigger finger.

The two marines looked at Kayleer, expecting a response. He kept his gaze fixed down and didn't answer. He was angry, ashamed, he didn't know how to respond. Without another word he left the room, seeking sanctuary from the humans' prying eyes and accusing words.

Kayleer didn't want to believe it, but couldn't help but feel that Adelaide was right.

* * *

Kayleer's return to Aether was met with open arms. Perhaps no one was happier to see him back safely than I-Sil. She clasped her arms around him and let flow to him an aura so grateful and unwithheld that he felt he would faint. But Kayleer did not respond as she expected. He was dismal, afraid.

She held his head and asked him fervently to tell her what troubled him, but he would not answer. Something was different; very, very wrong.

U-Lir took quick notice of this as well, and turned to look at the retreating forms of Kayleer's former captors.

"_What did you do to him,"_ he demanded. The marines deigned to answer and reboarded the ship.

"Kayleer, what happened?" I-Sil begged. She considered for a moment that he may have been tortured, but he bore no marks, no wounds or other signs of harm. But that in itself was not enough proof for her. "Did they hurt you?"

"No," he answered. It wasn't entirely true, but not entirely false either.

I-Sil and U-Lir exchanged looks, concerned and frustrated by what little information they were getting. Kayleer pushed away from his mother, trying to shut out her comforting thoughts. He did not want them.

"Then what happened?" I-Sil repeated, hurt by his actions.

"Nothing!" Kayleer answered angrily. The tiniest hints of a roar echoed through his voice, and it frightened him. "I..." he swallowed hard, trying to gather his thoughts. "I just need to be alone right now."

He bowed respectfully to them and walked away, disappearing into the bog. U-Lir began to form suspicions. He had an idea of what Kayleer was not telling.


	17. Chapter 17 - Remembrance

Meditation. That was what he needed, Kayleer was sure. Calm down, collect his thoughts and focus. That would clear his mind and give him peace; it always did. But no matter how he tried, he was distracted. The scene on the Federation ship played itself over, again and again in his mind. He had taken a backseat to another entity's mind entirely. He had watched as he launched himself at the human, as he tried to tear his throat out. The pure surge of ecstasy that had come with the act of violence was enough to make him sick.

Kayleer shuddered. He bit his jaw and shook his head violently, trying to get the memory out of his mind, but it refused to be forgotten. Kayleer decided he needed to know the truth. He needed to know what he-215 had done, who he was. He tried to access the memories but could not reach them. The humans had known how; perhaps they were not the only ones.

Kayleer returned home. He deliberately avoided I-Sil, and instead made his way straight to the lab. As luck would have it, only one Luminoth was there.

U-Lir took immediate notice of his presence, and allowed himself a breath of relief. But Kayleer was not any better, still emanating a heavy aura of fear and confusion.

"Kayleer," U-Lir began, uncertain how to proceed. "Did you, see something while you were gone? Something traumatic?" he asked cautiously. Perhaps his fears were wrong, and the only reason for the change in Kayleer was that he had witnessed the human's war.

Kayleer took a moment to observe him. By the way he spoke he could feel that U-Lir was withholding something.

"You know about him, don't you," Kayleer accused. "About my past life?"

U-Lir flinched noticeably. At first he wanted to lie, to tell him no; that knee-jerk reaction was to protect Kayleer, for he had never wanted him to know. But what good was there in protecting him now? Clearly he had already learned.

"Yes," he admitted. Before they had even found Kayleer, U-Lir had known the pirates' tendency to reuse soldiers as slaves. He had seen it in Kayleer as he worked on him, and had taken careful measures to be sure his past memories remained buried and secure. They would have never come to the surface if it weren't for his capture.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kayleer asked, despaired. It felt like a betrayal, to know that it had been kept this from him all these years.

"What good does it do you to know?" U-Lir responded. "It was another person entirely, why does it matter what he did?"

"No, he wasn't a different person," Kayleer shook his head and clutched his arms. "He's... he's me. What I _used _to be, before you found me, before I was a slave..."

"You can't think of it that way, Kayleer, you have done nothing of sin," U-Lir reasoned.

Kayleer only shook his head. "I need to know," he said resolutely. "I need to know what he did, who he was... Can you show me?"

"Show you?" U-Lir was shocked by the request. Certainly he had the means to manipulate Kayleer's memories, to allow him access. But to allow him to see such horrible things was nothing less than a travesty. "No, I will not," he answered, just as certain.

"You have to!" Kayleer objected.

"I do not have the technology necessary for such-"

"You're **lying**!" Kayleer boomed, a revolting roar echoing through the lab. As the echoes dissipated he locked his eyes onto U-Lir's, begging him to listen. He calmed down the smallest of bits, his voice returning to its quiet and passive tone. "I'd rather know the truth, than live my whole life blind. The truth is more important, isn't that what you taught me?"

U-Lir sighed, closing his eyes for a moment of thought. "Kayleer, please, I beg you not make me do this."

"I need to know," Kayleer repeated himself, ignoring his pleas.

U-Lir gave him a piteous expression. So determined was he to know the truth, despite the damage it would do. U-Lir was conflicted; he wanted to refuse but feared how Kayleer would see him if he did so.

Was he lying to him by refusing? Had he lied all these years? Kayleer certainly seemed to think so. He was furious that he had been kept in the dark. To the war, to his past life, to everything. He might never forgive U-Lir unless he honored his request.

Reluctantly, the Luminoth nodded, gesturing him to an upright metal table- the same he had been on when he had first awoken. Kayleer rested his back against it and waited.

U-Lir hesitated, wanting to stall. But he knew he would only delay the inevitable, and so finally approached Kayleer. Two electrodes pricked the pirate's head and wired him into a console. U-Lir took command, and with ease, temporarily removed the mental barriers that had been in place for so long.

Suddenly all of 215's memories became available to Kayleer. He closed his eyes and garnered his focus, going through them in sequence.

Unit 215. Science Team. Tank-birthed on the research frigate Orpheon. His first work was with weapons, building and improving machines made to slaughter humans. On several occasions, those weapons were put to use by 215 himself. Science Team was not exempt from battles, if the need for one arose. Kayleer watched through 215's eyes as plasma rounds seared through Federation armor, through human flesh. As the quick and painful slash of an energy blade slit countless throats. Many were human, others were pirates who had done some sort of insubordination, shown rebellion. An act of pure malice, slaughtering his own men when they displeased him.

Kayleer twitched in his half-aware state, struggling to keep his focus and continue. He cracked an eye open and paused for a moment, his whole body wracked in a shiver. He shut them again and went on.

Off the warfront, back in the labs. Finally the pirates had discovered phazon. Orpheon stayed in orbit above the tainted planet Tallon IV. Droves of the blue mutagen were brought onboard. With ardor, 215 infused it with countless native lifeforms. He watched, without expression, as his test subjects' bodies were warped and mutated beyond recognition. Some deteriorated entirely, their alien screams filling the halls of the ship as cell by cell was torn apart by the viral life inside them. Kayleer could not fathom how he could, at any point and any mind, be so deaf to the creatures' pain. How he could go about his work immune to the horrors that befell them. He struggled to delve deeper into the memories, finding himself horrified and pained by every one.

One of his more volatile test subjects escaped, and Orpheon was evacuated. 215 made planetfall, continuing his satanic work on Tallon's surface. There, he began to infect his own kind. Pirates, now, became phazon's victims. Growing, being augmented by the sick steroid, only to have their lifespans cut unimaginably short. But the pain and life-drain of their cancer did not matter, so long as they had strength, could fight and win a single battle.

They went insane. Every single infected pirate soonafter lost their sentience altogether. They would attack their own kind as well as the enemy. The only things spared were the fellow infected.

On the move again; 215 left Tallon's surface aboard the frigate Siriacus. This time, he had new purpose. Perhaps the cure to phazon madness lay in another sentient species.

He collected new test subjects. He chose sentient creatures now; people. 215 considered a number of species; Phrygisians, Kriken, Vhozon, but one among the many one seemed more enticing than the rest.

Humans. 215 gained a sick sense of pleasure from human suffering, so of course they were an ideal candidate. Siriacus made its way to one of earth's colonies, far on the rim of Federation space. It sent out five raiding ships to collect test subjects. Only two returned, four test subjects in hand.

Kayleer shivered violently. He did not want to know what came next, but found himself unable to halt the memories now.

They needed to be young. Younger meant more manipulable growth. Two females, two males. 215 had wanted more, but procuring humans was a tricky business considering the Federation defense. All four were to be infused.

A human child, chained to the dirty floor of a cell. She looked up at the pirate with piteous green eyes. Tears streamed down her face and matted her hair as she begged fruitlessly for mercy.

"_No, no, no please no, get away from me,"_ she sobbed. "_Please don't do this...let me go, I want to go home! I want my mom!" _she wailed. 215 did not care. The girl screamed and writhed as her neck was violated by a luminous needle, the virus pulsing its way into her blood. She didn't stop screaming, the burning sensation soon becoming unbearable. She fell to the floor of her cell, her screams muffled by the white foam that had flooded her mouth and covered her face. The other three humans soon followed her fate.

215 watched. He watched and fed the four humans meager rations. Soon the inevitable happened. Three of them stopped talking, stop begging, showing fear, any sign of will at all. They cried out and clawed at their chains to the point of bleeding. Their minds were gone; phazon had taken its place.

But one was different. The green-eyed human that he had infected first. She still spoke, still showed signs of sentience.

She had grown quiet, her protests ceased. She would mumble softly to herself; silent prayers and pleas. The whites of her eyes blackened, and the once vivid greens were replaced with a hollow blue. Phazon tore through her skin, covering her in luminous, painful growths. But she was beyond pain now. She would watch 215 with a sullen stare as he went about his daily experiments, betraying nothing of how she felt or what she was thinking. But despite her measures to hide her progress, 215 could see through it. He could see that despite the rampant infection, she still had her will; her sentience. She retained her thinking, calculating mind, even though phazon had long-since taken residence in it.

This was what 215 had wanted. Finally, a creature that could fully resist phazon madness. He quickly destroyed the other three test subjects, grinding their flesh into rations for his one successful experiment. Now he would need to harvest her, make her usable for his own kind. And so he began to mutate her. Phazon sped the process along, letting the pirate genes take hold.

Her flesh tore and warped and moved against her will. She screamed, she cried, but nothing would stop the endless onslaught of mutations that claimed her once-human body as their own.

"_Stop it, please... I just want to go home," _a deafening sound of tearful, inhuman screams. The test subject could be silent no more. Kayleer could only watch as the horrors unfolded before him, and he felt as though his heart would break.

"Stop, please stop," he whimpered back. To whom was he speaking? Kayleer did not know. But U-Lir heard him, and took the blessed opportunity to put an end to it. He shut it down, and suddenly Kayleer lost his grip on 215's mind. The sequence of memories faded and he opened his eyes.

But it was too late. Everything he had already seen, he remembered. Kayleer tore the electrodes from his head and fell to the ground. He clutched at his shoulders and struggled to breath. He couldn't stop shivering, couldn't stop reliving the horrible things he now knew he had done. Unable to keep it in he screamed. Anguish, fear, guilt and fury warped together in a harrowing sound. The sheer power of it made U-Lir cringe himself in fear. He rushed to Kayleer's side and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

Kayleer shook his hand off violently. He hyperventilated, struggling to keep from passing out. He stood and stared blankly into space, trying to come to terms with what he had witnessed- that he had caused.

"Kayleer..." U-Lir begged him to calm down, tried to offer him comfort. Kayleer recoiled at the mere sound of his given name. It felt undeserved, foreign. It belonged to someone else, someone innocent. Not the monstrous pirate; the killer of children.

He ran. He did not look back. There was no solace in others; only the cold, muddy emptiness of the bog.

* * *

One could not even tell that the sun was rising that morning, for a torrential rainstorm had overtaken it.

Kayleer had been gone a full day, and I-Sil had become fervently worried. U-Lir, too, had hidden himself away. He had not emerged from his lab even to eat. When she finally visited him, he was not working. He was merely resting against a wall, seemingly lost in thoughts. When I-Sil neared her mate, she could feel the telltale emotions of remorse.

She looked at him, concerned and afraid to find out what had happened. But he would tell her, she knew.

"U-Lir, what happened? Where is Kayleer?"

Her mate hesitated for a moment before giving a solemn, listless answer. "I... showed him his memories. Of the pirate that came before him. I know I shouldn't have, but he..." he shook his head. "I shouldn't have, I _shouldn't have._"

Instantly I-Sil understood. Whatever Kayleer had been before, a soldier, a scientist, a commander, he had seen war. He had seen the travesties his people committed, and there was no doubt in I-Sil's mind that it would be too much for him to handle.

She stared down at U-Lir in disbelief. She was furious at U-Lir for having exposed Kayleer to such harrowing truths. But now, she realized, was not the time for anger.

She left U-Lir and ran into the marsh. "_Kayleer!"_ she called out with her mind and voice, time and time again, hoping desperately that he would hear her.

* * *

Kayleer was alone. He did not meditate, but merely rocked back and forth, grappling with new knowledge. He tried to clear his mind, to regain his dwindling sanity. But every time he tried he was stopped short, a part of him sure that he did not deserve such peace.

He had murdered. He had tortured. Deliberately infected countless test subjects. He had watched them suffer, writhing in pain, and he had done nothing but perpetuate it.

There was no redemption, no reprieve. He could not escape what he had done.

Rain pattered heavily against him. The drops that hit his arm sent hollow, metallic clings through the bog. There was nothing but him, the marsh, and the memory of his inescapable sins.

There was no way to undo the suffering he had caused, but at the very least he would give those souls some peace.

A stone, a vine. Slowly the engineer assembled the last thing he would ever build. He wrung the vine taught around the heavy stone and tied it, then the other end twice upon his own leg. Straining himself, he picked up the stone and stared into the murky, rain-rippled water. He had made up his mind.

Adelaide had been right.

He did not deserve to live.


	18. Chapter 18 - Revelation

"NO!"

A voice from far away. It didn't matter. Ripples tore apart the already-chaotic surface of the marsh as Kayleer dropped the stone. His crude device dragged him down with it. They sunk fast, at last hitting the muddy bottom with a muted thud.

Though Kayleer wanted it to be over quickly, he could not overcome instinct. Instinct didn't allow him to take in water right away. Instead, air was forced out of him as the oxygen was finally expended, and there was nothing but water to breath. At last his breath failed him, the air escaped as his lungs filled with water. The blues and greens of the world around him shuddered, and faded to black.

* * *

A hard, repetitive force pushed against his chest. A flash of color temporarily broke the stream of endless black. Air clashed with liquid to produce a sickening gurgle. Another flash of color, water poured from his mouth and nose. Another gasp, another flash of color, and this time it stayed.

Kayleer wheezed, water trickling from his throat, he gasped again and again, taking in strained breaths of air. He looked up into familiar amber eyes. The eyes that had raised him and now saved him from death.

Gratefully she picked Kayleer from the ground and embraced him. She held him tight despite his protests and refused to let go.

Kayleer pushed against her chest, trying to escape.

"No, NO!" he wailed in a broken voice. "Don't you get it? _I __**want **__to die!_" he screamed in anguish, trying desperately to free himself.

But she did not listen. The next thing he felt was the soft touch of her head upon his, and Kayleer stopped pushing her away, becoming limp and dazed. He realized what she was trying to do.

"No..." he whimpered, but to no avail. He was trapped. Unable to stop her as she made his burden her own. As she drained the feelings of guilt and sorrow from his mind and replaced them with a feeling of peace. Of resolution and joy. She would not allow him to suffer alone.

Suddenly Kayleer was not a monster anymore. He was a child again. He had dreams and aspirations. He had a family, a mother who loved him. He felt his breath stolen by the sudden epiphany, and a new, more sensical remorse surfaced in his mind; that for what he had just done. For what he had nearly put her through.

He shut his eyes and abandoned himself completely, burying his face in I-Sil's soft fur. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he sobbed quietly.

Her embrace tightened at the words. He repeated them over and over, and I-Sil listened, hanging on every one. She listened and waited patiently, allowing him to let out all that he needed.


	19. P2: Chapter 1 - Armorclad

"You're mad, you know."

"Probably."

A-Vei shook his head in disapproval. "I just don't understand why you're doing this. You were lucky the humans returned you at all, why for the Light of Aether would you want to go back to them?!"

Kayleer didn't answer. He had already explained, and he wasn't keen on repeating himself. He tried to ignore his friend, focusing instead on his new project. He had forsaken his thesis machine in favor of modifying a suit of Federation armor, one with which the humans had graciously provided him.

Taking note of Kayleer's cold silence, A-Vei sighed. "You owe them nothing," he tried to reason. "Just because some pirate before you did something untoward doesn't mean you're responsible."

Kayleer bristled at the mention, recalling the harrowing memories of Unit 215. It terrified him to know that he'd likely only seen a fraction of his crimes.

Was he really a different person than 215? Or had he merely forgotten? Whatever the answer, Kayleer could not help but feel a horrible sense of guilt for all he had done, and he felt the only reprieve was to help in the humans' effort against the pirates. He couldn't live here anymore, knowing what had happened; what was still happening.

"I don't care," he answered monotonously. A satisfying _clang_ resounded from his fingers as a plate of freshly welded-armor locked into place.

A-Vei could sense his resolution, and he knew there was nothing he could say to persuade him. Putting his disapproval aside, he marveled at the newly-completed armor.

"Finished already? You've gotten much quicker."

"It's...a rather primitive build," Kayleer admitted. He had been given a standard marine armorsuit to tamper with, and had modified it significantly. Humans were short, more than half a meter smaller than him, and barely half the height of a full-grown Luminoth. Their legs were straight, single-jointed, and for a moment Kayleer had wondered how it was even possible that they could walk without toppling over.

He had added a great amount of supplementary metal to compensate for the difference in size. He had mimicked the alloys in the suit, even though much-stronger ones were available to him. The Sentinels had forbidden him from taking any Luminoth technology that could be weaponized by the humans. They wanted to remain neither allies nor enemies to the Federation or Space Pirates, and feared that even a small contribution would result in a loss of neutrality.

Were it up to Kayleer, he would have given everything he could to help the humans' war effort. But he knew it was not his decision to make. There was only one piece of technology he had been granted use of.

Black, metal braces were clamped to his shoulders, two on his wrists and legs, one around his abdomen and two on his feet. A vibrant series of green sensors ran through them, constantly receiving and transmitting feedback to one another. The same sensors ran along the inside of the freshly-crafted armor.

Kayleer sent a mental signal to the sensors;

_Assemble._

In an instant, the armor on the table reacted. Held aloft by a magnetic field, they floated towards Kayleer, clinging to his body in an orderly sequence. First came the flexible, almost-rubbery underarmor, a durable membrane that would allow him to move, while heavier metal plates covered the rest of his body. He could feel them aligning, locking into place above his exoskeleton. It built up from the extremities; first his legs, then his arms, unattractively asymmetrical as one arm harbored a canon while the other allowed him the free dexterity of his prosthetic fingers. Four plates aligned down the length of his abdomen, and extended to wrap around his back. Finally the chest, the most heavily-shielded area. It seemed that in both humans and pirates alike, this was the area in need of the strongest protection. A large, cross-shaped plate locked into place just above his heart, extending smaller pieces outwards, around his neck and finally his head. A bright, opaque blue visor slid down his slender visage, a complex HUD lighting up in his line of sight, telling him that the suit up was complete.

Kayleer bent his legs, he flexed his arms and stretched, testing his movements. To his relief, they felt quite natural. The armorsuit seemed to allow him a great degree of freedom despite its primitive, clunky build.

He noticed A-Vei move nervously out of his way, a frightened expression on his face.

"Careful where you point that thing!" he cried, sounding more annoyed than scared.

Kayleer lowered his right arm. He realized he had inadvertently aimed it at his friend. He would need to acclimate to the fact that his arm now harbored a weapon.

"Sorry."

"I do hope you get some training in that thing before you plan on leaving," he chided.

"I admit I haven't the slightest how to act in this armor, but the humans' basic training should fix that," Kayleer retorted. "Though I have done basic combat training the past few months."

"Oh, I noticed. By the Light you bulked up quickly. Did your trainer slip you growth hormones?" A-Vei laughed.

"No," he answered. "Pirates heal fast. Damaged muscle is repaired and built faster." The reason was simple, and Kayleer couldn't help but feel a bit of resentment for making use of his species' unnatural abilities. He knew them to be the result of years of genetic manipulation and efficient artificial breeding.

"You know, you should be grateful. Any Luminoth would have taken three times as long to get the same result, and they would have ached a lot more in the process."

"To be grateful would imply that I've gained more than I've lost by having a pirate's blood," Kayleer responded.

A-Vei only shrugged. He looked up to the clouds, which masked the vast void of space in which his friend would soon be lost. "How long are you going to be gone?"

Carefully Kayleer removed his helmet, resting it against the table and gazing into the visor. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back at all," Kayleer admitted. The guilt he felt from his life as 215 was enough to drive him from Aether. He felt as though he could never return until he was certain nothing like that wretched scientist would ever be spawned again.

"So melodramatic," A-Vei groaned. His eyes flickered back to the sky as he saw a tiny silver craft pierce the atmosphere.

"Is that your ride?"

Kayleer followed his friend's gaze and watched as the small escort ship dropped out of sight in the direction of the central temple.

"It is," he answered.

He bowed to A-Vei, who returned the final greeting. With a heavy heart, he left his friend.

Kayleer gave his farewells next to U-Lir, and then to I-Sil. She looked down at him with piteous amber eyes, so full of regret for his decision. And yet despite her objections she knew this was the only reprieve Kayleer could find.

"I'm sorry," Kayleer said quietly, turning his head away.

She put a hand to his chin, and lifted his gaze to meet hers, offering a warm smile.

"Do whatever you need to feel whole again, Kayleer," she told him.

One final embrace in his mother's arms, one last look at Torvus, and Kayleer made his way to the temple were the human ship was waiting for him. Fully clad in their armor, he felt he finally belonged, and the small escort crew offered him no animosity as he boarded their ship and left Aether behind.


	20. P2: Chapter 2 - Assignment of Espionage

The searing sound of spent plasma sent a rush of satisfaction through his veins. The pirate roared in agony, struggling to keep from succumbing to his wounds. In the end, his efforts were futile, and the frail creature fell to the ground.

The victim was easily forgotten, as Kayleer quickly turned his head to the next one. Plasma flew from his rifle and easily met its mark; a clean shot straight between the pirate's mandibles and into his throat. Kayleer's months of training had not been in vain.

The act of killing had come as something rather ambiguous to him. Raised by peace-loving creatures and a pacifist by nature, Kayleer surprised even himself with the vengeful spirit with which he tore through the battlefield. With every putrid pirate he put down, all he could see was another murderous, soulless creature, a monster like 215. It helped that he could not understand their language. That every threat, taunt and pleading fell as babble upon his ears. Yet some part of him truly enjoyed it, not simply for what he was killing, but that he was killing at all. Kayleer tried to push it away, at first, fearing it to be something primal and cruel, something that belonged not to him, but to 215. But as time went on he found it harder and harder to resist it.

He had spent far too long being weak. For the first time in Kayleer's life, he had power, and he frightened himself by just how much he enjoyed it.

Kayleer had long since come to realize that unlike 215, these pirates had something fundamentally different. Covered in cyan sores, eyes filled with livid blue, every pirate he faced was infected with phazon. And yet they still maintained their sanity, by all appearances. Perhaps at long last, they had finally learned to control it.

He rarely felt threatened. On top of his relative size and strength compared to other marines, the pirates Kayleer faced were always little more than the weakest the armada had to offer. The militia; the reserviced criminals and slaves. Such were the enemies that green recruits such as himself were sent to face. Petty raids and the like, small jobs that the pirates weren't willing to waste good troops on.

But these easy assignments were not to last long. Once he gained enough experience, he knew he'd be sent off to tougher foes, ones that offered a much more real and lethal challenge. Before it could happen, though, Kayleer found himself summoned once more to the Olympus.

* * *

The familiar architecture of the warship took shape around him as the Stiletto fighter made a neat landing in the docking bay. This time he was led away unchained, towards the briefing chamber. A familiar man was there to greet him, alongside a new face; the holographic form of the ship's Aurora Unit, 242. A massive biological supercomputer, one in control of every room and function on the ship.

Kayleer raised his arm to his forehead in a human salute.

"Good to see you again, Kayleer," the Admiral welcomed him. "I've called you here because I believe you're far too useful to be wasted on the warfront. Not when you can get behind enemy lines."

A dread rose in Kayleer's mind. "Behind enemy lines?" he begged for elaboration.

"Yes, infiltration. You can walk among pirates without arousing suspicion, and you can bring back crucial intel. We need that now more than ever."

"But, what of my appearance... my voice?" Kayleer reminded them. " And I do not speak their language. I would never be able to pass as one."

"We've made preparations," the Admiral assured him. "What I need now from you, is confirmation that you can do this. Will you accept?"

Was he offering him a choice? Kayleer wasn't keen on the idea, but he had joined the Federation army with the intent of aiding them, and he wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to be of service.

Kayleer nodded. "Yes, sir. What would you have me do?"

"This is a simple retrieval mission. Get in, retrieve the data, and get out; that's it," the Admiral motioned to the trooper behind him to come forward.

The trooper approached Kayleer, a metal device in her hands. "Can you remove your helmet and neck armor for me?" she asked.

With a simple mental command, the braces around his neck slackened and came apart. He removed his helmet as his neck braces retracted into the body of his armor.

He knelt down to allow the trooper to slip the metal brace around his neck. With a few movements of her small, human fingers she locked it into place and activated it.

A holographic grid extended from the collar and wrapped up and around Kayleer's face. The grid began to fill in with color, harsh browns and reds of pirate flesh. The projection began to bulge and warp, forming contours and wrinkles, filling Kayleer's mouth with pixellized fangs.

The trooper took a step back, nearly forgetting that what she saw was merely an illusion. Kayleer's benign visage had reverted to that of a true pirate; menacing and vicious as it was.

"Perfect," the Admiral said. "That'll take care of your face. Now there's a speaker module attached to that projector, we'll be speaking into a translator that'll make Urtragian come out of it. So, should the need arise for you to speak, we'll have you covered."

"But what about my armor? This is a marine's armor, and your hologram has no effect on that."

The Admiral cocked a brow, amused by his skepticism. The AU chimed in to answer him this time. "At the end of one of our previous battles, we were able to salvage an intact pirate armorsuit. You will be equipped with this armor."

Kayleer fell silent, unsure how to respond. They really had thought of everything.

The trooper returned to a console, and began to key in a command. What Kayleer had thought was a stasis tube opened its hatch to reveal an empty pirate exosuit. A brilliant green glossed the helm, torso and thighs, while the extremities maintained the usual pirate maroon. A retracted shield hung from its left arm, while a rifle and melee weapon covered its right. It was a model Kayleer had never seen before.

"This armor belonged to an Advanced Shield Trooper. Individuals of this armor class are typically high-ranking within the pirate armada. This should help you avoid some of the conflict that afflicts the lower-ranking classes," the Aurora informed him.

"I've had our technicians working on it for a good long while," the Admiral said. "It's techno-organic, but assembles similarly to a Federation armorsuit. It only seems to respond to pirate cellular structure, however. Made it quite a challenge to remove it in one piece."

"As did the fact that these armorsuits are not intended for removal," the AU continued. "However, several modifications have been made to ensure functional disassemblage."

"But we'll worry about that feature later," the Admiral said. "We were able to restore it to its default setting, meaning its ready to accept a new soldier."

Kayleer looked loathingly at the suit of pirate armor, its chassis open and greedily waiting. He hated the idea of abandoning the suit he had so carefully crafted, only to walk among his own species clad in one of theirs.

"I take it I'm to start this mission immediately?" Kayleer asked.

"As soon as we know the armor works, yes, that is our intention," the Admiral answered. "Remember the interface is biological, so be prepared for that."

Kayleer offered no spoken objection as he willed his own armor to disassemble, and removed the magnetic braces that still clung to his body. He made his way to the stasis tube which housed the pirate exosuit. The armor was spread such that the empty space was large enough to fit his lying body, and so warily, he rested up against it, spreading his limbs into the suit's own. Almost immediately the armor clamped on to him, locking into place with a hiss. The helm slid snugly over his muzzle, pressing his antennae roughly against his head and filling them with a cold, foul scent. Kayleer roared in pain as he felt several spikes pierce his back and wire into his spine. Muscle-bound tendrils extended from various parts of the plating, wrapping around Kayleer's body. Now Kayleer fully understood the need for the stasis chamber; the suit was a living, breathing organism. The fact that the thing had tied symbiotically to him sent shivers down his spine.

Kayleer took special notice of his right arm. The exosuit pulsed around his fingers, and he felt a familiar itching. This was his weapon; his rifle, and his blade. So long had it been since he'd felt it in his own hands...

A simple, coordinated flex of the fingers willed it into existence. A sharp, searing sound pierced the room as it singed the air around it. A trio of blades had taken up residence above Kayleer's fingers; vibrant orange edged with a deep red. One extended far beyond the others, shrouded in steam as it vaporized the moisture in the air. Kayleer found himself fascinated by them, admiring the blades as he turned them over and felt his hand clench into a fist.

"Kayleer!"

The Admiral's voice broke him from his trance. Only now did Kayleer realize that his name had been said not once, but three times before he even responded.

"Y-yes," Kayleer retracted his blades and shook his head. "Forgive me," he said, stepping forth from the chamber. The female trooper from before waited timidly for his permission, then clamped yet another holographic projector to him, this time on his prosthetic. The sleek grey metal of his arm disappeared beneath another projection; of a pirate's arm. The illusion now complete; Kayleer looked every bit as an ordinary pirate.

The Admiral narrowed his gaze, uncertain what to make of that little episode. "Looks like it works; good. Now, on to business."

The Aurora's image flickered and shifted to a hologram of a space station, orbiting around a planet with which Kayleer was not familiar.

"This is pirate research facility Sinensis," the Aurora's voice began. "Reconnaissance probes have revealed that it is is their main producer and developer of phazon-based weaponry. It holds the key to understanding how pirates have utilized phazon to augment their forces."

"Our own research on phazon has slowed to a crawl," the Admiral explained. "Even with the additional resources we've been able to claim from Tallon IV, we've made virtually no progress. We're losing troops fast, and it's high time we learned how to return fire."

"That is where you come in. We need you to infiltrate Sinensis and retrieve the pirate data stored within their labs. It should give us insight into their phazon program, particularly their weapon and armor systems. This will allow us to adapt the designs for our own means."

"How would I retrieve the data?" Kayleer asked.

The AU's hologram flickered back as a metal pedestal extruded from the briefing room floor. Atop it stood a small device, no bigger than a human hand. Etched in red and black, it stood out against the quiet blues and silvers of the Federation ship.

"This data drive was adapted from pirate technology. It contains an AI, a heavily reduced version of AU 242 that will bypass pirate security codes and download the data. All you have to do is plug it into the pirate mainframe," the Admiral explained, handing it to Kayleer.

"Get in to a pirate research facility, download data, and get out…" Kayleer scoffed. "Sounds simple enough."

"There's one more thing as well," the Admiral warned.

Kayleer looked him in the eye, curious.

"We have reason to believe the innermost labs are protected by a pirate genetic lock. They tend to use them exclusively in the most highly secured areas. It's designed to only respond to Space Pirate DNA."

"And what if it does not recognize me as a pirate?"

"An alarm will be triggered and they will come to investigate."

Kayleer's blood froze. Even if he maintained his cover perfectly, there was still a good chance he would be discovered. He didn't want to think what would happen thereafter.

"And if that happens?"

"If that happens you'll already be very deep within the labs," the Admiral said. "It'll be up to you to extract yourself to a safe recovery point."

Kayleer cast his gaze downward, and didn't answer. He grinned in abject disbelief, cracking a sarcastic, almost manic smile. He wondered for a moment if he had betrayed his expression to the Admiral, but quickly realized they could see nothing of his true face. All they saw was the hologram; the expressionless maw of another pirate.

"We'll be guiding you through the labs. There's a camera wired into your helmet so we'll see everything you do. We will offer you aid as we can," the Admiral tried to reassure him.

Kayleer fell silent. Despite his misgivings, he had every intention of following through with this mission, just as he had with all his others. But for the first time, he felt full the fear that it might be his last.


	21. P2: Chapter 3 - Hunter Samus Aran

The quiet calmness of space enclosed him from all sides. His escort vessel had jettisoned him as soon as it was within range of the station's rudimentary atmosphere. With a quiet, muffled pulse, the boosters on Kayleer's back sent him towards Sinensis. It was a long way to travel, but the thin atmosphere offered him little drag.

Little by little, Kayleer began to feel the tug of the station's artificial gravity. He arched himself forward as his armored talons stumbled aboard with a loud metal clang. Instinctively he wanted to give a quick report, to say he had landed safely. But he remembered how deadly the act of simply speaking could be for him, and so he resigned himself to let the recorder in his helmet do its job.

"_Head out of the docking bay, up ahead and to your right should lead you to an entrance,"_ a trooper's voice echoed in his transceiver. Obediently Kayleer followed his directions, for he would have easily gotten lost without them. Sinensis was a research facility, and not the first to be investigated by the Federation. All stations of a certain type shared a similar architecture, and so using that data, the Federation did its best to give Kayleer their knowledge of what lied ahead.

Kayleer flinched noticeably as he rounded a bend; two armored guards stood before him, keeping watch at the entrance.

"_Calm down, they're just guards. They don't know anything yet and won't attack you so don't give them a reason,"_ his transceiver informed him. "_Approach them."_

Reluctantly Kayleer obeyed, doing his best to keep his gait steady and inconspicuous. The two guards looked at one another, mandibles twitching in confusion.

An angry Urtragian voice came from beneath Kayleer's own mandibles. The translator on the Federation side of the signal seemed to make a convincing impression, as both guards moved nervously out of the way, offering Kayleer passage. The doors opened, and Kayleer entered the red-ravaged darkness of the labs.

To his surprise, all that existed was mechanical research. New models of weapons; rifles, energy scythe modifiers, new variations of armor and booster packs. It was a rather benign form of research, at least compared to what Kayleer had previously witnessed. As was typical with pirate research, the area was relievingly low-staffed, with many processes automated and only a few pirate scientists at work on their respective models.

"_This area is just the basic research level. Low security. You need to get to the next level to get to phazon research,"_ the voice in his transceiver spoke quietly.

As the trooper continued to give him directions, Kayleer listened intently, afraid of making a wrong turn and ending up somewhere dangerous. Before long, he had been led successfully through the labyrinth of corridors. A huge steel door that spanned an entire wall greeted him, a panel to its side.

"_That's the genetic lock. You'll need to insert your hand into the terminal on the left,"_ the voice said ominously.

But before he could proceed, Kayleer heard something; the quiet sound of metal rolling against metal. Kayleer looked around nervously, trying to locate the source of the noise. Just as quickly as it had started, it stopped. Perhaps he was allowing fear to get the best of him, and he was mistaking the mere sound of an automated machine as something dangerous.

Struggling to shake off his paranoia, he listened to his orders, and carefully slipped his fingers into the locks and rested his palm against the terminal. It lit up in an eerie red light, and he flinched as he felt a needle pierce the center of his hand. He swallowed hard, awaiting a response from the genetic lock. If his blood failed to register as that of a pirate, an alarm would be triggered, and he would be caught. It would be over.

The red light of the panel beeped once, and turned green. Kayleer allowed himself a grateful breath of relief as the heavy steel doors began to unlatch, opening the gateway to the labs.

The sound of rapid, heavy footsteps filled his ears. He jerked his gaze upwards to see something metallic and orange leap down from the upper level. His reaction came not a second too soon, for he was barely able to avoid the creature's lunge.

_A pirate? Impossible! I've done nothing to blow my cover._ Kayleer thought frantically to himself.

Its right arm began to glow a malevolent gold as it unleashed a barrage of plasma shots at Kayleer. He raised his shield in a panic, extending it from the hilt on his left arm and crouching behind it. He was relieved to see the shots bounce off backs towards his attacker. His safety was short-lived, however, as his opponent withdrew its cannon, and cast its free hand forward. In an instant he felt a powerful tug as his shield was grappled by a vivid charged cord, and with a single thrust, his attacker had forced it from his grasp.

The lasso shot back towards him, this time to Kayleer's throat. It caught on to the metal of his projector as it wrapped itself around his neck and pulled him forwards, towards the armored beast. Kayleer was dragged by his neck along the floor, and only now could he see his attacker clearly. To his surprise, it was much smaller than him, and it was only due to the fact that he was now forced to his knees that he met the thing at eye level. It was certainly no pirate.

His hologram flickered as it struggled to maintain its form within the charged electric presence of the grapple. His transceiver and speaker filled with static. Desperately he clawed at the lasso, trying to free himself, only to singe his flesh and metal as the noose around his neck wound tighter. He attempted to aim his rifle, but his opponent thrust its arm downwards, slamming Kayleer's head into the floor. Dazed, he could do nothing as the creature pulled him towards itself. It held his limp body against its crimson chest and forced its arm cannon upwards between his mandibles. Kayleer could feel the intense heat of plasma begin to singe the inside of his mouth as the victor charged a shot.

Desperately he tried to call out pleadings, but the grip around his throat allowed him nothing but pathetic hacks and squeals. Starved for air, his vision began to blur as the static from his transceiver filled his head, broken only by the fractured calls of a familiar voice.

"...amus...is...miral Dane...ease fire!"

The speaker on his throat called out with the voice of the Admiral, straining to have his message received.

To Kayleer's surprise, the heat against his mouth dissipated, yet the grapple around his throat remained. The armor-clad one hesitated, seeking the source of the voice. It forced its pirate prisoner up against the facility wall before finally dispelling the grapple, using its arm cannon instead to keep the pirate pinned. With its now-free hand it reached for his throat, and tore the speaker out from under his mandibles, ignoring the pained grunts of protest the act elicited.

"Samus, this is Admiral Dane. Please stand down; the pirate's with us. We need him alive," the Admiral decreed.

The Hunter glared suspiciously at her prisoner, wondering if this was some kind of trick. She did not see any other hostiles in the room, and so decided if this was indeed a ruse, she would be able to handle it.

Hesitantly, she slackened, pulling her weight away from the wall and releasing the pirate. He collapsed onto the floor front-first with a groan. As his senses returned to him, he clambered against the wall and righted himself, turning to stare fearfully towards the one clad in orange armor. The Admiral had called it "Samus". She held his speaker in her hand and returned his suspicious gaze through her visor. Kayleer could just barely make out the form of two human eyes, as a glowing verdant line etched its way across them.

The Hunter watched as the scan data became available to her. The bioform beneath the armor was a hybrid between two species, both with which she was familiar. Besides the standard pirate weaponry, the thing was equipped with a transceiver, transmitting on a human frequency, and a localized holographic projector. There was a third piece of foreign technology in its mouth, but she was unable to pinpoint the exact nature of it. From what she could observe, it was likely another communicatory apparatus.

The curious nature of the 'pirate' coupled with the Admiral's request were enough to put the Hunter's suspicions to rest - for the time being.

"Samus, switch to radio frequency Alpha-I5," the Admiral's voice droned through the speaker; it was the same frequency with which they were communicating with Kayleer.

"_Speaking out loud was a risk, but seeing as you didn't blow our spy's brains out, I'd say it was worth it,"_ the Admiral said, now speaking through both their transceivers. "_Kayleer, this is Samus Aran, she's a bounty hunter and one hell of a pirate exterminator. You'd do well to work with her rather than against. _

"_Samus, Kayleer is here to extract data from the pirate mainframe. I don't know why you're here, but whatever the reason, I ask that in addition you assist him where you can. This mission is critical, and we need all the help we can get."_

Samus gave an affirmative nod in Kayleer's direction. It took him a moment to realize the gesture was not meant for him, but for the Admiral, whom she knew to be watching.

"_I'll leave it to you two, then,"_ the Admiral said. And with that he fell silent, not wanting to waste any more of their time.


	22. P2: Chapter 4 - Phazon

With a bit of tampering, Kayleer was able to fit the speaker back onto his neck. The bounty hunter had managed to leave it mostly unscathed, despite the rough way in which she'd seized it.

He couldn't help but notice a strange familiarity in his newfound companion. From the sleek shape of her visor to her enormous shoulders, she bore a striking resemblance to the monument atop the Great Temple, one which paid homage to the famed hero of Aether. Kayleer pondered for a moment if there was some relation between the two.

The lift waited patiently for a body to step into the hologram. Kayleer readied himself as he took his place beside the Hunter and felt the lift carry them downwards, into the bowels of the research facility.

A quiet clank of gears echoed through a mostly-empty space; the elevator came to a halt. As Kayleer took his first steps into the lab, he noticed a very conspicuous change. The lighting had changed from red to a cold blue, and it took him only a moment to realize why.

The mutagen cast its livid shadows across the twisted machinery of the lab. A familiar, almost melodic sound filled Kayleer's ears. Like wind blowing through something hollow and dead, permeated only by the clinking sound of something alive and moving, crackling with radiation.

A familiar smell pervaded the air. Bitter and acrid like burning plastic, yet also sickeningly sweet. It hit Kayleer as a terrifying realization that his sense of smell was exposed to the stuff. It had wafted up through his helmet and into his antennae- the vapor had _touched_ him.

He shivered violently. He felt a queasy weakness in his legs, and felt them falter with his next step. As he struggled to collect himself, he noticed the Hunter was watching, her expression obscured by the blue glare on her visor.

"I-I'm fine," he said quietly. A fine line of light etched its way across the Hunter's visor before she turned her attention back to what lied ahead.

It was stored in vats, test chambers and containers lined the walls of the lab; an almost unlimited supply for the wretched experiments. The vague, silhouetted forms of several titanic test subjects could be seen from outside their stasis chambers.

Kayleer had known this lied ahead. He had known from the beginning that he would be exploring a phazon lab. And yet despite his preparations, he felt stir in him a fresh fear, one nearly forgotten. He felt a throbbing, intangible pain pulse through the metal shoulder of his prosthetic as his heart raced, pulsing the inklings of panic to the rest of his body.

"_Kayleer, what's going on? Your vital readings are going haywire."_

Kayleer shook his head and tried to steady his breath. Yet with every one, he could feel a fresh waft of air brush against his antennae, and he was reminded again of the substance that surrounded him.

"The smell is a non-toxic byproduct of its metabolic cycle," a voice said.

Kayleer looked up, shocked to find the voice came from beneath the deep crimson helmet of the Hunter. Her visor turned to meet his gaze.

"Pirates are resistant to acute radiation syndrome," she continued. "Just don't touch the stuff and you'll be fine."

Kayleer nodded, trying to put logic before his irrational fear. He steadied his stance and shut his eyes, taking a brief moment to clear his thoughts and find peace in his racing mind. He opened his eyes and stood up, doing his best to drown out the terrifying sound, smell and sight of phazon.

He kept his gaze fixed downwards, following the heels of the Hunter as she walked without falter in front of him. The thin corridor began to open up into a much larger space, high-ceilinged and filled to the brim with test subjects, hidden behind tubes of glass frosted with phazon.

The Hunter raised her arm to bar Kayleer's movement. A quick scan of the room revealed several active pirates.

"Being seen together will compromise your disguise," she warned. "Go on ahead. If you need an assist, Dane can inform me."

The Admiral shook his head with a mischievous smirk at how she had addressed him.

"_That's affirmative, Samus."_

Taking a deep breath, Kayleer nodded once more, and turned to the lab. The vast, open ceiling came as some reprieve to the claustrophobic crampedness of the rooms before, and made the ordeal of dealing with the phazon that lined it a bit easier.

_Just don't touch the stuff._

The line repeated itself over and over in his head; the only solace he had at this point. A sound of cracking metal bounced off the walls, and Kayleer turned back to where he had last seen the Hunter. A broken vent cover lie in her place, with no other trace beside it.

He continued to walk. He passed by two pirates, busy at work before what looked like a rather voracious test subject. The small thing clawed at its chamber, leaving visible gashes on the already-tattered surface. The scientists exchanged a few muffled growls and clicks, little more than mindless noise to Kayleer even though he knew it to be their language.

They gave him a cursory glance before turning dutifully back to their work. They did not want to obstruct the pirate who by all appearances was of higher rank and stature.

"_Take the lift at the far end of the lab,"_ Kayleer's transceiver directed him.

He saw a third pirate with yet another test subject up ahead, this time much larger. The pirate twitched his head and snorted in frustration, fiddling with the hologram on the console before him.

He payed Kayleer little mind, and the spy himself kept his focus on the lift at the end of the lab, hoping silently that it would bring him somewhere less corrupted than this place.

The scientist let out an audible growl, and Kayleer jerked his gaze to see what had angered him. The test subject began moving, casting menacing shadows against the opaque walls of its chamber. The scientist called out to his brethren, panic flaring in his raspy voice.

The test subject began to pound against its chamber wall. To Kayleer's horror, he could see tiny splinters begin to form on its surface as the lab filled with its terrible roars. The scientist abandoned the console and turned to run, but his actions came too late. The splinters turned into full solid cracks as the glass finally gave way and broke apart. A huge volume of concentrated blue vapor flowed outwards from the shattered chamber as the monstrosity emerged.

Its three-part mandibles opened wide as it let out a roar. Its titanic body sported two huge arms which seemed to bear the bulk of its weight. Its head stood at the end of a long, serpentine neck, which twisted and writhed as the creature spewed forth a copious amount of phazon from its maw.

It reached out with a massive arm and grabbed the fleeing scientist. It cared not that he too, was infected, for corruption had created a creature with little more than a feral existence. The scientist squirmed in its grasp, roaring in anger as he struggled to pull his arms out of its claws and defend himself - but to no avail. The pirate was helpless as the creature's jaws wrapped themselves around his face and tore his head clean from him body.

"_Kayleer, get to the lift- NOW!"_

Such a thing should have seemed like an obvious action. And yet Kayleer ignored it. He was frozen in place, down on his knees and eyes wide with fear. He felt his breath turn rapid in an involuntary spasm as his heart pounded painfully against his chest. The thing had spewed its phazon everywhere.

Pirate armor was anything but airtight. It left various parts of Kayleer's body exposed, and in addition to hearing the searing sound of the stuff burning through the armor's organic components, he could feel it on his prosthetic. A familiar burning sensation filled his mind as phazon once more began to eat away at his limbs.

The other scientists had evacuated, and the lab began to flash red as an alarm was sounded. Turrets spouted forth from their resting places and began to assault the escapee with plasma rounds.

The monster dropped the headless body of the scientist and turned its eyes to Kayleer. The floor trembled as it stomped forward towards the fresh prey. Its augmentation was incomplete, and its skin seemed to slough off as it moved, deteriorating further with every step as the plasma from the turrets seared through its raw skin.

Kayleer could hear the thing coming closer. And yet his eyes were fixed on the floor, body wracked in shivers. His mind was frozen in panic. He felt trapped from all sides by the phazon on the floor and his body. Like liquid shackles, they kept him pinned in fear, helpless to move as the ravenous creature neared ever closer.

"_What's wrong with you?! MOVE! NOW!"_

The creature stretched out its arm to grasp him. Its eyes glinted with greed as its maw twitched in anticipation.

Suddenly the arm fumbled in its course as a new source of weapon-fire tore away at a weak spot on its shoulder. A few well-aimed rounds seared at its joint and sent the creature reeling back in pain.

A familiar armored warrior ran effortlessly through the tracts of spilled phazon, ignoring the deleterious effect they had on her shields. She reached a new vantage point, one free of the toxic substance and resumed her assault, aiming now at the creature's other shoulder. Its weak spots exposed, the creature roared in rage and agony as it was driven backwards.

"_GET MOVING!"_

The voice cried loud and angrily through Kayleer's transceiver, urging him to take advantage of the opening.

The Hunter looked back, seeing the pirate was utterly refusing to move. A quick scan verified his identity, and she used the momentary opening the creature had given her to rush back towards him. With surprising strength, she grabbed the pirate by one of the ornate spines on his armor and dragged him towards the lift. She thrust him forward into the hologram and watched as it descended all too slowly. She turned back to see the monster launch its swollen body towards her, and swiftly dodged the attack.

Choosing to ignore the more nimble opponent, the creature reached its arm into the elevator shaft, greedy to get its hands on the pirate so close to escaping. But a charged cord of energy wrung itself to its shoulder and pulled him back. The Hunter dragged the cowardly creature towards her as the lift carried the phazon-tainted spy out of the fray.

The sound of the battle filled the elevator shaft as Kayleer was carried downwards. He tried desperately to move. The horrid, all-too-familiar feeling of terror had completely overwhelmed him, and it bore down on him like a lead weight.

"_If you don't start moving, the phazon will spread. It will kill you."_

The voice sounded muffled and far away. English and Aetherian blended together in his head in a nearly-inaudible garble of translated speech.

"N-need to move…" Kayleer stuttered. With pained effort he began to crawl forward, feeling his armored carapace slide slowly across the floor, lubricated by the radioactive slime that coated him.

His fear began to fuse with very real pain as the phazon burned through the armor and began to consume his flesh. It was a different variant than the one he remembered from the mines, acting less like something alive and infectious and more as simple, deadly acid.

He let out a roar of anguish, struggling in vain to push his body forward. He clung to the frail hope that he would find salvation somewhere, somehow, if he only moved.

But the sounds of his roars echoed through empty hallways as he tried fruitlessly to stand. The phazon had begun to eat away at the exposed joints in his legs. Kayleer could feel his exoskeleton burning away as he collapsed, time and time again to his knees until finally, he could try no further. He fell to the floor and whimpered hopelessly in defeat.

The pure, concentrated agony began to force the sleepless pirate into stasis. He heard armored footsteps, and turned his blurred gaze upwards in hope.

But it was not the benign form of the Hunter that greeted him this time. He saw only the hocked legs of yet another pirate, and felt his last bit of hope wither as he slipped from the waking world.


	23. P2: Chapter 5 - Unit 387

Rain pattered against his body in a world of pitch black. The familiar sensation made the pirate smile. Water dribbled down his carapace and filled his senses with the delicate feeling of moisture. Though he was blind, his imagination began to wander, and created around him a most familiar scene. The roots of a tree cascaded down the stone walls of a temple, following the everlasting flow of rainwater. Plant life blossomed all around him, relishing in the life-giving drizzle that trickled down their leaves and bestowed upon them a beautiful coat of dew.

But the swamp began to fade as the real world seeped into Kayleer's vision. The pirate's tired eyes began to creak open in a sluggish haze.

The dull, natural colors of Torvus were gone in an instant, replaced with the harsh reds and blacks of pirate lab equipment. Kayleer could feel his back pressed up not against stone, but glass. He blinked, trying to focus his eyes, and quickly realized that he was encased in glass from all sides.

Fine streams of water fell upon him from tiny openings in his prison's ceiling. His antennae twitched beneath his helmet as water trickled down them, leaving a strong, chemical scent in its wake. The water collected in a drain beneath him, carrying away the foul substance that had nearly consumed him.

Kayleer heard the telltale sound of pirate speech. He looked up to see the gnarled mandibles of an Urtragian twitching beneath a helmet on the other side of the glass.

"_Kayleer, stand up."_

With great effort, Kayleer obeyed, and picked himself up from the floor. The pirate on the other side of the glass growled again.

"_Spread your arms and stand in the center,"_ the trooper translated for him.

Once more, Kayleer listened. He stood perfectly still as two hoses extended from the chamber's ceiling and let out straight, flattened jets of water. The pressured streams did a thorough job, blasting against him from all sides and angles, the chemicals loosening the mutagen and washing it away to be burned and purified in the septic system below.

Finally, they retracted, and a thin plane of light scanned the tube's contents from top to bottom. It seemed to return a satisfactory result, as the pirate on the other side punched in a command to the console. The glass walls lifted up and away.

Still weakened from his phazon burns, Kayleer staggered forward from the decon chamber. He felt his legs buckle and he stumbled forward, but to his surprise, an arm braced against his chest and halted his fall.

He looked into the gnarled visage of a pirate, clad in a vivid green armorsuit not unlike the stolen one he wore.

The pirate held his arm steady until he was satisfied that Kayleer could stand on his own. He cocked his head and looked his fellow pirate over, glaring forward with all six eyes. Kayleer swallowed nervously, fearing the phazon may have done enough damage to leave his true form exposed.

The pirate grunted, mandibles twitching as he growled out his Urtragian words. Kayleer could not understand them, but the humans on the other side of his recorder watched intently as the pirate's speech was translated and appeared in English before them.

"Unit 215?"

Taken aback by the familiar name, the Admiral spoke directly to Kayleer. "_Relax, we'll handle this,"_ he told him. The Admiral took control of the translator and watched the pirate's reactions. Was Kayleer truly being mistaken for the Science Team member he once was?

"215? 215, it's you isn't it? I recognize your heat signature," the Urtragian exclaimed, a sense of glee in his growls. He removed his helmet, revealing his face. His eyes were deepset and yellow, without a hint of phazon, and his heat pits flared in curious investigation. "But, I thought they reserviced you?"

"They did," the Admiral said, confused at the unaggressive nature of the pirate. He had thought Kayleer's former persona to be an enemy of the Space Pirate cause. But he noticed the curious lack of phazon infection in the pirate, and wondered if perhaps this had significance. "But I've been able to somewhat reclaim my memories."

"What superb news!" the pirate smiled; an almost manic, toothy grin that seemed menacing to Kayleer. "Do you remember me? Unit 387? I've been continuing your research under the guise of an infected pirate. I've made very little progress, I admit, but I have not yet been discovered," he reported eagerly, shifting his eyes around the room as if to be certain that no one was listening.

"Of course I remember you," the Admiral said coyly, feigning familiarity.

"And you are not infected either," the pirate observed. "How lucky it is that I came upon you before you were terminated -or worse. Your voice sounds a bit different, but your heat signs have not changed one bit in all these years."

"Nor have yours," the Admiral replied. "Why are you not infected?"

"It is only thanks to you. Without your warnings I never would've known to run. Phazon sickness spread like a plague over Urtraghus," he growled. "I followed your guidance; I left before it could seize me, and I brought with me a small troupe of others. Everything you predicted… phazon becoming intelligent, taking control, it happened faster than I could ever imagine. High Command is dead. Gone into hiding or terminated by the Dark Hunter."

"Dark Hunter?"

387 looked at Kayleer, surprised at the question. "Do you not know? When our last ship took off from Aether, they brought something much more than mere supplies. A creature made of pure phazon, mixed with the DNA of a Metroid and a single human- that of the true Hunter," he scowled at the mention. "She infected the crew of Colossus, and killed any she could not take. The infected were helpless to defy her will. Phazon madness, but a controlled one; it finally had a sentient mind at its helm, just as you predicted."

The Admiral hesitated, sharing a look with his fellow trooper at the new intel.

"So what happens if we kill her?"

387 shook his head. "I'm not sure it's that simple. She managed to acquire an Aurora Unit from the Federation. With it she was somehow able to control the planetary source of all phazon. As long as it's intact, the phazon hive mind will retain its intelligence. We would need to destroy them both," he laughed. "As if we could muster the firepower to even try. The refugees I've gathered are small enough in number as it is, why waste the last uninfected on a suicide mission?"

"But then, what would happen to our brethren if the hive mind was robbed of its leader?" the Admiral asked, becoming impatient.

387 frowned. "I suppose they would revert to a typical state of phazon madness; mindless drones craving only the infection of others."

The Admiral grinned. It seemed the answer to the Federation struggle had been here all along. But they still needed one more thing.

"387, I'm here to extract data I need for my research, can you lead me to the mainframe?"

387 perked up, thrilled at the mention. "O-of course, sir. You are working on a cure again, yes? To replicate the lost experiments onboard Siriacus?"

"Yes," the Admiral lied.

387 nodded. Fully believing he was aiding one of his own, he led the way through the lab. Kayleer received an order to follow him, and so he did.

The Admiral decided that any time spent with this easily-manipulated pirate was worth exploiting, and so he began to ask the scientist more questions.

"My memory is still a bit impaired," he began. "What were my experiments aboard Siriacus?"

"I suppose you can't be blamed. One would be lucky enough to outsmart a scritter after a recommissioning as a slave," he laughed. "Do you remember Project Transfuse? Humans proved to be the only species with a natural resistance to phazon madness, though even then it seemed to be a rare gene. We were so close to isolating a pirate vaccine…"

The Admiral looked at the screen in shock. Human test subjects? The idea seemed so vile and unfamiliar that he had a hard time coming to terms with it. And yet despite it, he felt there was something eerily familiar in his description.

"We created… a pirate-human hybrid, didn't we?" he asked.

387 nodded, thrilled that 215 seemed to remember something. "We were going to harvest it for its genes, before the accursed Hunter broke into the labs and set the thing loose among the stars. I've searched for years and haven't come up with a single trace," he scowled. "And procuring more test subjects to replicate it? The Dark Hunter would never allow it, and risking the forces of the uninfected is out of the question."

387 paused for a moment at a door. He raised his hand to be scanned by a terminal and led Kayleer into a room ablaze with red screens and wires. He pointed to one in particular, several open ports rested atop it.

Kayleer heard the order to insert the drive, and so cautiously, he approached it. He drew the device forth from a crevice in his armor, and inserted it into what looked like an accepting port. He then waited for the AI to do its work.

387 tilted his head, curious as to what the device's purpose was. "A datadrive?" he inquired. "Do you not even remember how to operate a terminal? If that's the case, I could have simply retrieved the necessary data for you."

"I did not know you were alive and uninfected prior to today," the Urtragian voice answered.

"Yes, that reminds me," 387 peered at the screen, watching various error messages pop up and disappear as the drive appeared to hack and destroy every security wall it ran into. "Where have you been all these years? Why did you not come into contact with us? The other uninfected?"

The voice did not answer at first, for it was trying to calculate a lie.

"I was set adrift after an attack on my vessel. I have been operating in secrecy, continuing my research. I did not know of your existence, and I apologize that I did not come into contact sooner."

"But we sent out numerous encrypted bliptrans," 387 protested. "Surely you received at least one? We pulled together a good amount of escapees from Urtraghus, Tallon and Aether alike. I was saddened that you were not among them, and I assumed you were terminated on Aether."

"Perhaps I was out of range."

387 narrowed his gaze, growing suspicious. It occurred to him that 215 had avoided him deliberately. "But, that doesn't matter now, does it? You have returned. So few members of Science Team escaped infection, your aid could be what finally saves us," he decreed hopefully. "You were the only one who made any real progress on how to combat phazon's psychological control."

The Admiral smirked. "Yes, I will join you soon. I need to procure a few more items from my own base. After that I will return to you and the other uninfected," he lied.

387 grinned in delight. Luck appeared to be with him this day. His gaze flickered back to the data screen, still hacking away. Droves of encrypted code flashed across it as it tore through the system.

The two pirates looked up for a moment as a resounding clang echoed through the walls; as though something far away and massive had been jostled. They quickly dismissed it as a mundane going-on within the lab.

"I still don't understand why you feel hacking is necessary; I can give you whatever data you need," 387 repeated. Feeling bold, he approached the console, taking a closer inspection at the modified drive which his companion had inserted.

"Stop," the Admiral said. "You needn't tamper with it; it has already started, so just let it run its course."

But 387's glare narrowed as he neared the drive, putting his face closer to have a better look. His nares widened and cringed, as though smelling something foul. His suspicions mounting, he tore the drive out from the port and looked it over.

"387, replace the drive, now," the Admiral warned, becoming wary.

"This looks as though it has additions of human technology," 387 glared at 215. "It reeks of human flesh."

He flashed his fangs as his face twisted into a scowl. "You've allied yourself with _them_, haven't you?" he snarled, drawing his energy blade.


	24. P2: Chapter 6 - A Narrow Retreat

"_Kayleer, get the drive and get out- now."_

He could see from the subtle changes in the pirate's tone and expression that he had become hostile. Kayleer didn't stop to question the order, and launched himself at the other. He pushed 387 to the ground, forcing his weapon-wielding arm against the floor. The scientist matched Kayleer in size and strength, and responded with a vicious grasp at his throat. His claws caught on Kayleer's collar, and in an instant he seized it, crushing the device and tearing it forcefully from beneath Kayleer's mandibles.

Kayleer felt his own hand clasp around the data drive. He grabbed it and rolled over, throwing the pirate into the wall and righting himself. He clipped the drive back within his armor and drew his own energy blade, preparing for an attack.

387 looked at the device in his hand. Though mangled and spouting sparks, he recognized it as human technology. He could see the true face of the being he had thought to be 215. The freakish mutant before him was not the comrade he had mistaken him for.

"The Federation has tampered with you, haven't they," he hissed. "The 215 I remember would sooner self-terminate than serve the human scum."

Another quake rocked through the lab, this time shaking loose a bit of dusty rubble from the ceiling.

The speaker now broken, the Admiral had no way of responding. It was pointless now; Kayleer had been exposed. The spy waited nervously, blade in hand, expecting an alarm to be sounded, for an attack. Curiously, none came. Only the menacing, unbroken stare from the pirate across the room.

387 laughed.

"215 is in there, I know it. I will silence whatever Federation slime controls him now," he spat. He did not raise an alarm, nor did he attack. If 215 was indeed still alive, 387 wanted no harm to come to him - especially infection. For he knew it was within his brilliant mind that salvation for his species lie.

Before he could act, a third rumble rushed through the lab. This time the noise tore clear through the western wall, as a familiar orange figure came careening through, midway through a brawl with a titanic beast.

The battle tore through the room and split the standoff in two. Both hunched up against opposite walls and hoped fervently that they would not fall into the line of fire. The Hunter unleashed a vicious barrage of plasma shots against her opponent's chest. But the creature swiped her off its body and gripped her tightly, throwing her against the floor.

It quickly occurred to 387 that if his former companion had indeed allied himself with the Federation, then the Hunter could also be his ally. If other pirates joined the fray, so too would he, and his infected brethren would quickly realize that he was not augmented as they were. Not wanting to risk himself or his plans, 387 decided his best option right now was to retreat. He glared angrily at the mutant pirate on the other side of the battle.

"I _will _retrieve you from your prison, 215," he hissed as he reluctantly turned his back and fled.

The creature's neck bent in the middle with a sharp hock. Its eyes glowed a menacing yellow, set against the crude, dingy violet of its exoskeleton. It flared its enormous wings, vibrant and orange, paying the broken equipment and stripped wires that resulted from the pompous flex little mind. His draconic head reeled back in a terrific roar, one unlike any pirate's. He cast his glare downward upon the Hunter beneath his claw, roaring once more as his mouth became alight with fire.

But with brutal strength, the Hunter wrestled her right arm free from his grasp and blasted his open maw with her arm cannon. The creature lurched backwards from the shot, allowing Samus the tiniest of freedoms with which to move. She rolled out from beneath his claw and stood up, casting forth her grapple. With a single, savage thrust she tore the carapace on his chest clean off, exposing his very core.

The creature quickly reacted to hide his weakness, turning around and whipping his long tail forward to strike the Hunter off her feet. As it impacted her, she grabbed it, absorbing the impact as it drove her sideways. She pulled the tail towards her as the creature roared in frustration, realizing he had merely given her leverage with which to manipulate him.

Before she could finish her kill, more pirates began to join the skirmish. They jumped through the open corridors ravaged from the fight and came to assist their struggling leader.

The Hunter released the monster and frantically aimed her arm cannon towards the advancing pirates. A few well-aimed charge shots took out the front lines, and for a moment she felt even these odds were not against her. But as the pirates continued to encroach upon her, she noticed something strange.

With hollowed roars, the pirates began to abandon themselves to the phazon within them. They allowed the mutagen coursing through their veins to expand to its full potential. Wild, insidious tendrils tore through their exoskeletons and whipped through the air. Their luminous sores grew larger and brightened with intense power.

The violet creature laughed; a raspy, repetitive shriek. It took advantage of the Hunter's distraction and let loose a plasma blast from its mouth into the wall. It snaked through the opening it made and left the Hunter to her fate.

She wanted to follow, to finish what she'd started, but she was quickly surrounded and was left with no opening. The phazon-imbued pirates began to fire upon her with incredible speed. Kayleer had never seen any weapon quite like these. A ruthless barrage of phazon-sheathed plasma flew in rapid succession from their rifles and fell upon the Hunter's armor.

Kayleer wanted to run, knowing he could be their next target. His disguise was destroyed, and he had no such phazon weapons to match theirs. At the same time, the thought of leaving the Hunter to die gave him a shameful sense of cowardice. No, he wouldn't run. He refused to be a coward any longer. Ravaged with confliction, he readied his blade and inched forward for an attack, knowing full well there was no way to win.

The Hunter cried out as she saw her shields draining rapidly. Within moments they would be completely gone, and she would perish. She did a quick scan of the room, and saw the pirate spy walking slowly towards her attackers, blade drawn. In a last ditch effort to save herself, she punched in a command to her arm cannon. She rose up and ran towards the only uncorrupted pirate. The barrage of phazon continued to bombard her as her HUD lit up in warning and filled her ears with an alarm.

She tackled the pirate to the floor and drove him backwards as an ear-splitting explosion rocked the entire facility. Missiles blasted their way through the pirates, incinerating their corrupted flesh on contact. A brilliant light erupted from behind the Hunter as the shockwave spread out, shattering every test chamber and console in the room.

Kayleer's ears resounded with a shrill, ringing shriek that drowned out all else. The light from the explosion nearly blinded him, but he could just make out the sleek hull of a gunship peeking through. He felt the immense weight of the Hunter lift itself off him and he gasped for air as he felt his chest allowed to expand.

Not trusting him to run at her speed, Samus grabbed the pirate once more by a spine on his armor and dragged him with her towards her ship. It extended a platform down from its hull and she quickly threw him onto it, joining him milliseconds later as she commanded the ship to take them aboard.

The ceaseless barrage of phazon shots continued to come even as the ship took the pair inside itself. It began to take damage as well, but remained undaunted as it rocketed out of the facility and off into space before its pilot even took her place at its helm.


	25. P2: Chapter 7 - Reflections

The ship quickly entered warp speed and left Sinensis far behind, much to the relief of its pilot. Kayleer lay on the ship's deck, preferring to remain there for a time to catch his breath and calm his racing pulse.

When he finally decided to stand, he felt a sharp pain pierce his back and fell facedown, back to the floor. His whole body became wracked in a seizure as he felt his limbs become entirely immobile. Panic flared once more as he struggled to move but found he could not; he was paralyzed.

Samus punched in a command on her arm cannon, prompting the turret to cease its attack. The beam of paralyzing golden light retracted as the turret withdrew into the ship's hull.

"Sorry; automated defense drone. Reacts to pirate presence," she informed him dully, taking her place in the cockpit.

Kayleer tried to catch his breath once more, sick of the constant assaults he seemed to be receiving from every party. "Can I move now?" he asked, humiliated as his voice rang muffled from its forced proximity to the floor.

She nodded. Kayleer rose to his feet, wiping a bit of drool that had collected on his mandibles during his short-lived paralysis. Despite his annoyance at having been attacked by the ship, he knew he owed the Hunter a debt of gratitude.

"Thank you for saving me," he said quietly, hand against his chest and head bowed.

The Hunter merely raised her hand dismissively.

"_Samus, AU 242 wants to speak to you two,"_ the Admiral informed her.

The Hunter raised her arm and activated a small terminal above her. She punched in a sequence of letters on a keypad that Kayleer did not recognize as human symbols. Curiosity welled within him as he second-guessed his own assumption that the Hunter was human.

The ship darkened as the holographic form of the AU illuminated before the Hunter. Carefully, Kayleer neared the cockpit, knowing the message was meant for him as well.

"Samus, thank you for seeing to our infiltrator's safe passage," it began. "The data he retrieved may be our only hope of fighting back. As you saw, phazon has given the pirates unprecedented firepower, one that may outmatch even your own."

The Hunter's hand clenched in frustration. She had come so close to defeat - and from mere pirate grunts, no less. What should have been an easy victory had turned into a desperately narrow escape. She may not have terminated the scum she had chased down to Sinensis, but her assistance seemed to have rendered the Federation victorious in one aspect.

"With this data, we can hopefully replicate the weapons you saw; this will even the playing field," the AU continued. "Please return Kayleer to the G.F.S. Olympus. And Kayleer - we apologize for any injuries you may have received while exposed to phazon. Had you been wearing your regular armor, they might not have been as severe."

Kayleer let out a quiet, frustrated snort. He hoped he would never again have to contact the vile substance. He'd much rather be on the front lines against the pirates' strongest forces than go through this again.

"We are happy that you are safe, and we will offer you full medical assistance upon your return," the AU finished. Its script was friendly, almost cheery, yet the illusion was ruined by its monotonous, robotic tone.

The lights brightened once more as the AU disappeared. Samus keyed in a new command to her ship on the panel directly before her, and Kayleer felt them begin to shift direction. The ship entered warp speed once again, throwing the fantastic array of stars and nebulae around them into a chaotic blur.

Kayleer reclined, resting his back against the sleek orange wall of the ship and sliding downwards. He took a deep, grateful breath of clean air and reflected on all he had seen. He wondered briefly what the conversation was between the Federation and the pirate that had saved him. He had seemed so uncharacteristically friendly, and it seemed strange to him that pirates were capable of treating one another in such a way. He hadn't seen a very detailed view of 217's life, and from what he remembered during his brief time as a slave, pirates treated each other with nearly the same aggressive demeanor with which they treated humans; albeit less hostile.

Yet that pirate had saved him. Was it truly a show of compassion? Pity, even? Or perhaps another motive that Kayleer could not see. Samus had also saved him- and twice. Was he really so utterly helpless? Kayleer shook his head in frustration. He couldn't wait to reclaim his marine armor and return to the battlefield, where he could feel somewhat competent again.

He turned his attention back to the bounty hunter sitting silently in the cockpit, and revisited his pondering of her species. Her armor and ship were unlike anything he had ever seen. Her strength and courage were beyond that of any human - or Luminoth - that he knew. Kayleer couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

He remembered again the uncanny resemblance her armor had to the monument back home, and his curiosity began to get the better of him.

"Have you ever been to the planet Aether?" he asked shyly.

Put off by the idea of small talk, she ignored his question, and did not answer. Kayleer decided to try again.

"The Luminoth sing stories of a noble Hero. One who came to Aether in her time of need and purged the darkness in her heart, who single-handedly ended the Great War."

The Hunter turned her head briefly, not even enough to look fully behind her, before turning her visor back to the haze of stars.

"They erected a monument to this warrior. It stands vigil atop the Great Temple, watching over all of Aether. I was wondering if-"

"I don't normally carry passengers. There's a reason why," the Hunter cut him off.

Taken aback, Kayleer stopped. Unsurprisingly, the Hunter was not fond of talking, and he quickly realized any questions he had for her would likely go unanswered. He sighed, realizing his words were wasted. The Hero of Aether was said to be the most modest and silent of warriors, so perhaps it was a fool's errand to extract an actual conversation, even if she was the same person.

Kayleer shut his eyes complacently and entered a state of meditation, letting the longs hours of flight melt away into space.


End file.
